Living & Loving in Community

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Galatians 6:1–5 (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.

Opening Prayer

Recap

The last few weeks we’ve been looking at the foundation of sanctification...

And, the power behind sanctification.

The foundation of sanctification is our justification.

The power behind our sanctification is the Spirit of God.

The process of sanctification is learning anew, how to relate to:

God differently.

He is our Father.

Positionally, we have been judged already, in Christ, and declared blameless.

We will experience this with the same results in the future.

God’s Law differently.

It no longer demands of us, it woos us.

The demands have been satisfied by Christ.

And, through our new spiritual birth, we find satisfaction in obedience.

Others differently.

We should no longer consume relationships for the sole benefit of self.

We can now pursue relationships for the benefit of both parties.

We rest in God’s opinion of us, no one else’s.

Our value is in Christ, immutable.

By the Spirit, we care for one another the way God intended...

Sanctification is meant to be fleshed out in community.

We are being sanctified by the moment by moment revealing of God’s providence.

Community is important to God.

And, so Paul now takes us from the security and power of sanctification...

To specific expressions of it within Community...

And, gives cautions to be taken while pursuing sanctification in Community.

First, let’s notice a very important truth for living in Community in the bonds of Christ...

Our Love for Others Involves a Willingness to Suffer with Them or from Them

What do I mean by that statement?

Well, v.1 involves confrontation (positive)

And, confrontation carries with it the potential of different reactions.

Someone could be open to your help...

And, invite you into their pain and their weakness...

And, now you’re going through it with them in a way that you would not have if you weren’t involved.

But, your love for others compels you to help them.

And, you feel with them and hurt with them and celebrate with them and cry with them.

Or they could not receive your help, turn you away, and avoid you.

Now instead of suffering with them...

In a certain portion, your suffering is coming from them.

So, any time we love others enough to get involved there must be a willingness to suffer.

And, when we are willing to suffer...

Either with someone or from someone...

We do so resting in God.

Trusting God...That whatever happens...

God will use for our sanctification.

He will use it for our transformation.

For our good.

The next, and very important component for Community in Christ is..

Our Love for Others Involves Gentleness

Galatians 6:1 (ESV)

1 Brothers, ...you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

Gentleness is caring.

Caring for how our brother/sister are perceived.

Caring for how they are treated.

Caring that they know they are genuinely loved.

Caring that they know they are loved by you.

How?: How would you want to be treated if you were the one caught in the sin?

Think Honest & humble, note prideful heroic, answers.

Think of times when you were ensnared into sin...

Weakened by sin. Weakened by the flesh.

How would you have wanted someone to approach you?

Proverbs 15:1 (ESV)

1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

What does Paul mean caught in any transgression?

Sin to be dealt with is sin that seems to be habitual.

They’re caught up in the sin.

It’s power over them has caught them unaware.

It’s not that they didn’t sin willingly...

They did. we all do.

But, the sin has entangled them.

Paul’s not talking here of people who make momentary misjudgments...

Like a momentary lapse of judgment in speech.

Or someone who got carried away in the moment and took something too far.

More times than not, the HS will handle those things quickly without the means of us.

And, I believe that sometimes our intervention without prayerful consideration can delay the sanctification of the one we try to help.

Don’t be the Christian that’s walking around with their ears wide open, hoping to catch someone doing something they disapprove of so they can correct them and be perceived as Spiritual.

When this happens, it is most often that the person doing the correcting is only being mindful of what they want the circumstances to be, personally.

Their needs. Their wants. Their ceremonies kept.

But, that’s Wrong. Wrong motive. Wrong behavior.

These types of people are living in...

Galatians 5:26 (ESV)

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

We need to remember that we are not the Holy Spirit.

And, we have to be extremely careful that we are not imposing opinions and preferences, nor our individual ceremonial laws on people.

Have scripture that specifically deals with the specific sin observed.

If it’s your application of the Scripture that is not specifically commanded or prohibited by Scripture...

Then you may want to get other thoughts from people you trust have biblical wisdom.

Remember, we should always try ti help one another with love and gentleness.

Or it is not biblical, Christ-honoring help.

Now I want to give you some criteria before you make the decision to help:

Let me start with this, and this is just a cautionary preface...

It’s outside of the passage here in Galatians, but I think it’s needed for clarity sake...

Paul says in...

1 Corinthians 5:12 (ESV)

12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?

Our calling is not to spend our time walking up to unbelievers, telling them things like:

Don’t get drunk.

Don’t cuss.

Don’t do this.

Don’t do that.

Don’t live this way.

Don’t live that way.

That is not our Christian calling.

We are called to speak the gospel into their life.

And, when allowed, by their conversation, we can link the gospel as an escape from a specific bondage to sin.

But, we’re not called to spend our time telling lost people how to Up Their Moral Game.

What a black eye the church has received by Christians disobeying the Apostle Paul.

Now, to the passage at hand, how can we be spiritual in our helping one be restored?:

1) Get the log out of your own eye before you get the speck out of your brother/sister’s eye.

It’s not that my sin is more dangerous or worse than others.

But, its that I have the best perspective on it.

A log would be easier to grab and pull out.

A speck takes precision, skill, tweezers.

It would take gentleness and care to remove the speck.

However, me dealing with my own sin, the log...

I can grab it and manhandle it. Root it out.

Less caution. Less gentleness. More aggressive.

Why? Because its you dealing with yourself.

And, we’re infinitely patient and forgiving to our self.

And, we should be the same to others.

So, spend time with the Lord remembering your weakness to sin.

Remembering how easy you have been and can be ensnared.

2) Am I spiritually equipped to help?

This goes hand in hand with #1

What is my walk with the Lord looking like at the moment?

Have I been resting in God?

Have I been true in my confession/repentance?

Have I been humble in my opinion of self?

Am I aware of my dependence upon the Spirit for by obedience?

Or am I boasting in self?

Relying on self?

Applauding self for the work of God in my life?

This makes #1 all the more important, right.

#1 is suppose to help you gain a proper perspective about yourself...

So that you can make sure you are properly resting in Christ...

Aware of your need for forgiveness of sins...

Aware of your daily need of the Spirit...

Then you can go in humble gentleness.

3) How serious is the sin?

This takes wisdom.

Wisdom and security is found in a multitude of counsel.

Before you confront, if there’s any uncertainty whether what you’re witnessing is sin...

Ask your elders, group leader, someone who is spiritual...

Someone you’ve seen exhibit biblical wisdom.

Without saying who it is, ask for advice about what you’ve witnessed.

Is it sin that needs confronting?

Two things:

Are relationships being/about to be ruptured.

Is this a pattern of sinful behavior.

Is this what you see in someone?

Or are you being the stumble police?

The people that go around making sure no one ever does anything that may in the least cause someone to stumble for a moment in time.

And, the Stumble Police rarely, if ever, take into consideration that the manner and timing of their confrontation may cause the person their confronting to stumble.

Is what you’re observing serious sin?

Or are you wrong and thinking tradition or ceremony?

Should it be prayed for and not confronted?

If confrontation is needed, we need wisdom on the best way to handle it...

Ask lots of questions to find out context, motives, what’s going on.

The best timing for the conversation.

The best location to have this conversation.

Matthew 18 says the first step is in privacy.

Not in the Small Group discussion circle.

Not in the Prayer Chain request list.

In private, so no one else knows its going on.

4) Are you the best person to help restore the person caught up in sin?

If this sinful behavior is a personal offense...

I would not be giving this point.

This is not a personal offense matter.

This is an observed or confessed pattern of sinful behavior in someone’s life.

Personal offenses, according to Matt. 18, are to be dealt with by the persons within the offense.

But, we are talking about someone who is exhibiting sinful patterns of behavior that are potentially or already harming relationships.

Harmful sin that you have personally observed.

Or this could be someone who has come to you and they’re aware of their sin and requesting help.

At times, and with certain sins, there may be someone else in a better role to talk with them...

And help them through the besetting sin.

This should not be used as a cop out.

We are called to bear one another’s burdens.

That’s the churches job, not a select few.

And, sometimes you may begin to help someone...

And, need advice as you work with the person...

And, so you’re getting counsel in order to better counsel your friend.

And, you can do so without bringing up the other person’s name.

Because we should avoid gossip or legalism.

And, we want the best for the person caught up in sin...

We want the path of restoration to be a good situation for them.

Sometimes it may be best for you to ask the person to get counsel from someone better equipped...

But, that you will be there through the counseling, if they so desire.

This takes humility.

This scenario is not about us looking spiritual.

This scenario is about being spiritual.

And true biblical spirituality is humble, gentle, and caring of and towards others.

Take-Away

In order to live in community the way Christ has called us to live in community...

We need to be resting in God.

Aware of our own sinfulness.

Aware of our deep need for the forgiveness of Christ.

Aware of our need for the forgiveness of others.

Aware of our utter dependence upon the HS to do anything that God delights in.

Remembering the times we struggled & needed help.

Remembering our past, and the many times that people graciously left us to the work of the HS...

And, the HS won.

Let us be gracious people, dripping & oozing with patience, grace, forgiveness, wisdom...

Always pointing our self and others to the mercy and forgiveness of Christ.

Closing Prayer