Who Do You Compare?

Galatians 1:10 “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Compared to the world, you probably look pretty good. You may not cuss as much as everyone else. You may not engage in as many inappropriate conversations as everyone else. You may not full around as much as everyone else. You may not behave as poorly as everyone else. You may even be a practical saint when compared to them.

But we are not comparing ourselves to the world. We are comparing ourselves to Christ, and when we compare ourselves to Christ we look pretty rough.

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

When we are saved, we place our trust in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. That means He literally paid for our debt, therefore we are slaves to Him in a sense. No not like slave that you would find on a plantation, but bondservants. We are indebted to Him, so we live our lives in a transformed way. We are rescued from our life of sin, so we never want to live in it again.

Think of a steel trap. If you were ever caught in a trap, would you seek to be caught again? Of course not. It hurts. When we are relieved of this pain we make sure to never be in the situation to be hurt by it again. It is the same way with sin. We were bound by sin. We were dead in them, but Jesus Christ sat us free to walk away from a life of sin, and follow Him closely.

Which means now instead of looking to the world as our guide for what we should wear, or what we should say, or how we should carry ourselves, we look to Christ. You see ultimately the world seeks to pull you down and trap you in its grasp, but Christ has come to release you from its stranglehold.

Who would you desire to follow? The one who would wish to see you fail and bring you to ruin, or the one who set you free?

Galatians 6:1-5 “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. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.”

If you see people making poor choices, then you should confront them. You cannot continue to allow your brothers or your sisters in Christ stray. It is up to us to help keep them in check, but in GENTLENESS.

Two things must happen: 1.) You must make sure you are the spiritual one. If you are filthy like the world, and you try to correct someone, they are going to look at you like you are an idiot because you are sailing in the same boat. You must be the one who is keeping themselves clean.

2.) You must keep yourselves unattached. You can guide without being involved or invested. If you see someone making a mistake, simply tell them that their Christ would not approve of their behavior, and that they are held to a higher calling than what they have on display at the moment. When you become more invested in the situation you will be tempted as well and can fall into the same pit. You must keep your nose clean of their dirt or it will tarnish your reputation as well.

Some of you do well. Others struggle, and there are some who do not fight their temptations at all. You throw yourself at the world and then make whatever excuse you think appropriate to justify your sins.

But the bible is still clear. In this youth group, as you go about your lives, encourage each other in gentleness to present themselves as Christ would. If you see something that is not good then LOVINGLY and BRIEFLY check them. If you are struggling talk to your friends and have them be your support system. Or if you do not have good friends find a new group of friends that will hold you up in Christ. And if someone comes to you in love and confronts a mistake you have made, examine yourself and make corrections where needed. If someone comes to you in the name of Christ they come to in Love. Not because they like to put you down, but because they want you to live the best life you possibly can in our Lord Jesus.