Galatians 6:1-10

Intro

Hey Y’all! How y’all doing? Doing good? School going? It feels like January has been the longest and shortest month.

Anyways, only like a month til winter break.

Also, two years ago today was my first day here as the Student Pastor. Wild, especially when you look at the stats of how long Student Pastors actually stay at churches, average time is 2-3 years, but don’t worry about it, I’m not going anywhere for a good long while. We are just getting started here.

Anyways, Question for you, who all plays a sport of musical instrument?

How did you learn to do the things is takes to play that sport or musical instrument? Like where are my band people at? Any woodwind players? Reed instruments? Clarinets, Sax, Flute, y’all have a ton of buttons. I played trumpet, we had three buttons, made it easier.

But how did you learn to do those things? Someone had to tell you and show you what to do. They had to go, okay this button does this. This valve makes this pitch. Sports, someone had to show you how to hit a baseball. Someone had to show you what to do. This is what it looks like and this is how it is done.

So that is what we are going to be tonight, looking at this passage through that lens. The Christian life is different, here is how it works, here is what it looks like. This is what marks it from a practical standpoint.

Context

So tonight we are going to be looking at the last Chapter in Galatians. Just the first half tonight. We’ll finish up next week, then start something new after that. So Galatians chapter 6, does anyone need a bible? If you do throw a hand up and we will get one to you.

But before we jump in to it, let me give you some context, cause the context is really important here.

This section here is right after the end of Chapter 5, where Paul is talking about what it means to be led by the spirit, to walk in the spirit and he contrasts it by what it means to walk in the flesh, to give in to the flesh and to let sin in and corrupt.

Paul encouraged the Church at Galatia to be led by the spirit, walk with the Spirit. Don’t stray from the spirit, Christ has come and fulfilled the law so that you are no longer under the law.

So that brings us to Chapter 6. Paul gives a picture of the christian life in chapter 5, and now he is giving us a practical guide to what the function is, what is the base level function of the Christian life.

So let’s read this whole passage, then we will go through it in chunks. Galatians 6:1-10 y’all read this with me.

Galatians 6:1–10 ESV

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. 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. 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. 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.

How we Interact with each other matters

Okay so what is going on here? What do we need to see here?

First off, look at how Paul starts off this thought, he says, “Brothers” when we read that we need to hear Paul saying this like you would say to your friends, guys, bros. And Paul is not just talking to the guys, I think the CSB translates this as brothers and Sisters. He’s speaking to them like they are friends, like they are family.

And what does he say in verse 1? He says look out for one another. If one of you find one of your friends trapped in sin, don’t disown them, don’t help them hide it, bring them in to the light, be gentle, help them to kill their sin.

Sin is like a fungus, it grows in the dark. This is gross, but I had a friend in seminary that I lived with who’s room was gross. like GROSS. Like he would leave used dishes in his room and wouldn’t wash them until they were just like nasty. But one time he hid some of the dishes cause he didn’t want to wash them and it was like some pasta thing. Like Alfredo something. And he just let it get nasty, and some how a towel got put over it, and he was an out of sight, out of mind guy, so that thing just sat there, nasty, growing, festering, and starting to stink. Me and our other roommate could smell it eventually. and when he finally got it and cleaned it, it took him forever to get that smell out, i think he just threw the towel away. It looked like the gross Krabby patty off sponge bob. it was nasty. But had he just cleaned it the first time, if he had not tried to hide it, it wouldn’t have been so bad, it would have just been this dirty dish, but by then it was a nasty fungus that was allowed to grow. We didn’t know it was there until it started to smell.

So Brothers, help ya brothers out. Don’t let them suffer alone.

Now this doesn’t mean you go out looking for who might have sinned, look at verse 2. Gal. 6:2

Galatians 6:2 ESV

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

Look what Paul says, bear one another’s burdens.

This implies a couple different things. One, you gotta have friends who are followers of Christ. and Two, you gotta talk to friends you can trust. This doesn’t mean you gotta tell every sin you’ve ever committed to everyone here, but find you a trusted 2 or 3 you can talk to, everyone has something they struggle with. Walk together.

This also means that as much as we need to talk, we also need to listen. Listening is just as important if not more so than talking. Listen to what your brothers and sisters have to say.

Look at verse 3, Gal. 6:3 “3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” not one is above this. You’re not, I’m not, Pastor Randy isn’t, even Paul is not above this.

I talked Sunday morning about guys with names people know, but that doesn’t give them special privilege to do what ever. They also need this, no one is a big shot. The Christian life has no big shots. Stay humble. The Christian life is a humble life.

The only this that you alone are resonsible for in the Christian life is daily following after the lord. look at verse 4 and 5 Gal. 6:4-5

Galatians 6:4–5 ESV

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.

When we first read this, it seems like Paul contradicts himself here, but he’s not, it doesn’t come across in the translation, but Paul uses a different word for burden and load. Burden has the meaning we looked at, something heavy, something you need people to carry. Load is something like a book bag, everyone has it, and only you can actually carry it. We can show you the way all we want, but you are the one who has to walk in it.

So what does this tell us about the Christian life? The Christian life bears one another burdens, so if you are a note taker, write that down. The Christian life bears one another's burdens. So that’s the first thing we need to see here, let’s keep going.

The Christain Life is one of Discipleship and Prayer.

Look at verses 6 and 7 Gal. 6:6-8

Galatians 6:6–8 ESV

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.

Paul changes tone a little bit right here he goes from saying “no body is a big shot” to test it. If you think you can do this with out God, let me know how that goes.

Paul calls for two things here. Discipleship and prayer.

Look at verse 6 Gal. 6:6

Galatians 6:6 ESV

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

First thing we need to see is that Discipleship is communal. Discipleship happens together. Not apart but together. It happens in a setting like this, it happens in Sunday school, and it happens in small groups on Sunday nights. We learn from each other. That is the only way we can actually be learning. We have to learn from each other.

Think about sports or music, you might be better a the sport of the instrument than the person who taught you is, and they may actually learn from you. Or if by just playing together you pick up other things. Iron sharpens iron. Both people get sharper when they are together. We learn when we see things from a different perspective.

We also need to see here that we cannot do this in our own power. We cannot do anything apart from God. Discipleship and pray go hand in hand. Pray is a must. We must be a praying people. If we are going to live the christian life, if we are going to carry out the mission of God, we need to involve the mission giver.

This is almost a warning from Paul. he is alluding back to what he said in chapter 5 about spirit and flesh. The Flesh will destroy. The Spirit leads to life, and life everlasting.

So what does this tell us about the Christian life? The Christian life is one of Discipleship and Prayer. if you are writing things down, write that down. The Christian life is one of Discipleship and Prayer.

The Christian life is one of Community

So let’s keep going, lets look at these last two verses Gal. 6:9-10

Galatians 6:9–10 ESV

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.

Alright, Paul ends this idea by talking about doing good.

He says do not grow weary, which means it is possible to get tired in the Christian life. It is possible you will eventually get tired in the Christin life. Which is why Paul warns us so often about doing things in our own power. Carrying another’s burdens can be hard, helping someone out can wear you out. Being compassionate can be tough sometimes.

Don’t grow weary, remember where your strength is found. our Strength is found in the Lord. We are going to get tired. You need to know how to rest in the Lord. you need to know why having some sort of Sabbath is important. you need to know how to rest and to recharge with the Lord. If you are constantly pouring out to others, but you are not going back to the well, going back to the Lord, that bucket is going to run out.

How many of you can drive? Does your mom or dad keep on you about changing the oil? Want to know why? it saves your car if you change it. If you don’t change it your engine will burn up.

This will happen to you, and you may not even realize it.

If you aren’t finding rest and being refreshed by spending time with the Lord, you might burn out. The Lord is where we find our strength, if we are trying to do this in our own power we are going to burn out.

So what is Paul saying here in these last two verse? He is saying look out for your brothers and sisters. Fight against weariness and help them fight against weariness. Help them fight against sin. This is done together in community.

Paul is also saying, to look out for your neighbor. The only way that we can carry out the mission of God is to love your neighbor.

one of my favorite Preachers Tim Keller says

Not everyone is your brother or sister, but everyone is your neighbor, and you must love them

Paul is telling is to not grow tired of doing good especially for our brothers and sisters but also for our neighbors.

So what does this tell us about the Christian life? The Christian life is one of Community. write that down, the Christian life is one of Community.

We need our brothers and our sisters, and we need to treat each other well. The World will know how we are by how we treat each other and how we treat the world.

The Christian life, all of this is done in community, there are no lone wolf christians.

p christ

So, what is the point of this? Why are we talking about this tonight?

Well, look around, this is a part of your Christian community. This text is reminding us that the Christian life is not walked in the dark. We are not following a path that is not well lit or devoid of friends. We are following after Christ, as the light of the world. We need our brothers and sisters, we need to have co-laborers in the Gospel, in the mission of God. This text reminds us that this is how the Christian life is walked. This is the Practical model Paul is trying to get us to see, The Christian life is together. The Church is community the Church is family. Don’t forget this. This text shows us that discipleship and prayer are necessary. We need both of these to grow in our walk with the Lord.

When I was in New Orleans I was in a small group that I miss because we aren’t there and all of us are in different ministries across three different states. But one of the things I miss the most about that group was how we prayed for each other. We studies the bible, and then we prayed, and i miss being with that group. It helped me grow, just having someone pray with me.

you can find that here, look around. Look around, these are your friends, grab some of them and pray. I promise you will see your walk with the Lord grow just by meeting up and praying with each other.

Find community, this text is telling us to find community. There are no lone wolf Christians.

So what do we do?

If you are a follower of Christ? Find some brothers and sisters to pray with. This text is calling you to not forsake community, to rely on the Lord, and to help one another to follow closer to the Lord. This only happens in community. This also helps keep sin out, it helps fight sin, you are stringer together fighting against sin than you are apart.

if you are not a follower of Christ this text is calling you to see that only in Christ can you find true joy. Christ has made a way for you to know Him. There is nothing you can do in your own power to be good enough, or to earn your way to God. but God has come down and made a way for you. He has made a way for you to have true community, a place for you to truly bring your hurts, joys, sufferings and celebrations. Following after Christ is the only way that can lead to true joy and life everlasting. Come and know Christ as Lord, come know him as king,

Y’all pray with me