1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,520 Alright, well, go ahead and make your way back to your seats. 2 00:00:06,520 --> 00:00:08,780 And let's open our Bibles to the book of Galatians. 3 00:00:08,780 --> 00:00:12,760 It's good to all be together in the same service. 4 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:13,760 This is exciting. 5 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:18,340 It was great to be able to hear the voices of God's people singing together in worship 6 00:00:18,340 --> 00:00:19,340 to the Lord. 7 00:00:19,340 --> 00:00:22,020 This microphone is going to distract me this whole time if I don't move that thing. 8 00:00:22,020 --> 00:00:23,020 That's way in the way. 9 00:00:23,020 --> 00:00:24,740 Let me get that out of the way. 10 00:00:24,740 --> 00:00:26,520 Galatians 6 is where we'll be. 11 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:28,080 If you're new, my name is Joe. 12 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:30,480 I have the privilege of being one of the pastors here. 13 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:33,160 I would love to meet with you, connect with you after service. 14 00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:36,880 And just to give a little more clarity on a few of the announcements, we're partnering 15 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:38,960 with Bartow Family Resource Center. 16 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:39,960 We did this last year. 17 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:45,480 We're doing it this year really to kind of adopt some families in the community that 18 00:00:45,480 --> 00:00:51,240 may be not as fortunate as we are and to give some gifts to those families as a way of displaying 19 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:53,520 and hopefully declaring the gospel to them. 20 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:55,240 It's a pretty simple task. 21 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:56,960 You grab an ornament, it has a gift. 22 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:00,960 You get the gift, you bring it back with the ornament so we can keep it organized next 23 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:01,960 Sunday. 24 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:04,640 We have a few weeks, so maybe if you can't do it this week, do it next week. 25 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:10,960 I think we're going to try to get those turned in by the second Monday in December. 26 00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:14,900 And also, if you're interested in learning more about who we are as a church, membership, 27 00:01:14,900 --> 00:01:15,900 we do have a class. 28 00:01:15,900 --> 00:01:16,900 Sawyer made reference to it. 29 00:01:16,900 --> 00:01:18,060 We have childcare available. 30 00:01:18,060 --> 00:01:20,840 We do just ask that you sign up so we can prepare. 31 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:25,080 You can go to our website, rhccartersville.com, and you'll see it there. 32 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,500 If you have the app, the Church Center app, you can go to the app store, get the Church 33 00:01:28,500 --> 00:01:29,500 Center app. 34 00:01:29,500 --> 00:01:32,920 We have all of our signups and communication on there as well, so that's one way that you 35 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:34,840 can sign up. 36 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:40,000 So if you have downloaded our digital study guide on our website, you would have noticed 37 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:47,600 that today we're supposed to get through verse 10 of chapter 6, but after much prayer, that's 38 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:48,600 not going to happen. 39 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:53,140 We're going to get through verse 5, and I'm thankful for Nathan for stepping in and filling 40 00:01:53,140 --> 00:01:54,140 in the pulpit last week. 41 00:01:54,140 --> 00:02:00,040 He did a phenomenal job of really showing us this conflict we have between our flesh 42 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,040 and the spirit that indwells us and leaving us comforted by the gospel. 43 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:05,040 He did a phenomenal job. 44 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:06,480 So Nathan, I don't know if you're here. 45 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:07,480 I think you're here somewhere. 46 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:08,480 He's probably upstairs. 47 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:11,000 I'm going to tell him thank you for feeding us. 48 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:12,000 Yes, yes. 49 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:13,000 Give him a... 50 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:20,440 So my task this morning is going to be Galatians 6 verses 1 through 5. 51 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:21,920 Galatians 6 verses 1 through 5. 52 00:02:21,920 --> 00:02:25,520 As you're turning there, let me read you this. 53 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:31,120 Feeling called to live a life focused solely on spirituality, Sister Rachel Denton is a 54 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:33,140 Catholic hermit in the UK. 55 00:02:33,140 --> 00:02:39,920 She took vows as a diocesan hermit under the guidance of the Catholic Church. 56 00:02:39,920 --> 00:02:42,240 Listen to her daily life. 57 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:48,980 Living a life of spirituality, Sister Denton lives a life revolving around prayer and meditation 58 00:02:48,980 --> 00:02:54,420 and study and writing with minimal contact with the outside world. 59 00:02:54,420 --> 00:02:59,400 She lives in a house and not in a cave or a desert like the monks of old. 60 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:01,420 She does the same things that they do. 61 00:03:01,420 --> 00:03:04,820 She practices deep isolation and simplicity. 62 00:03:04,820 --> 00:03:09,180 She seeks spiritual union with God in her solitude. 63 00:03:09,180 --> 00:03:12,880 She occasionally connects with others, not in person though. 64 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:15,720 She does through email or social media. 65 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:20,880 She rarely leaves her home and she depends on donations to sustain her modest lifestyle. 66 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:24,340 She is a modern hermit. 67 00:03:24,340 --> 00:03:27,420 Sister Rachel Denton. 68 00:03:27,420 --> 00:03:31,920 You know her life raises an important question. 69 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:35,960 What does it look like to live by the Spirit? 70 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:42,620 Does it look like isolation away from the outside world? 71 00:03:42,620 --> 00:03:45,920 Every day in solitude and prayer and meditation. 72 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:53,780 I mean not that prayer and meditation on scripture is bad, but is that what living by the Spirit 73 00:03:53,780 --> 00:03:56,200 looks like? 74 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:58,800 It's with that in mind we read Paul's words. 75 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:04,640 Remember last week Paul told us that we're in this conflict as believers who are walking 76 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:06,800 in the freedom of the gospel. 77 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:11,520 This conflict between the flesh and the Spirit. 78 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:15,040 And what he's going to show us now is concrete evidence. 79 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:19,960 What does it look like to live by the Spirit? 80 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:24,640 Here's God's word to us this morning through the pen of the apostle Paul beginning in verse 81 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:25,640 1. 82 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:31,320 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in 83 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:33,200 a spirit of gentleness. 84 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:36,840 Keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted. 85 00:04:36,840 --> 00:04:39,640 Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. 86 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:43,560 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing he deceives himself. 87 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:48,840 But let each one test his own work and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone 88 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:51,000 and not in his neighbor. 89 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:53,000 For each will have to bear his own load. 90 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:54,640 This is God's word. 91 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:55,640 Let's pray. 92 00:04:55,640 --> 00:05:02,640 Father, we come to you again in prayer asking that you through your Holy Spirit would illuminate 93 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:07,520 this word to us in our hearts and our minds. 94 00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:14,640 We thank you for not leaving us in darkness but revealing yourself to us through your 95 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:17,560 word. 96 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:22,440 Condescending and putting on flesh to rescue ruined sinners through the work of your Son. 97 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:24,840 May that word go forth this morning. 98 00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:25,880 Would you get me out of the way? 99 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:29,840 Would you minister to the hearts of your people through the preaching of your word? 100 00:05:29,840 --> 00:05:35,040 Would you point us to Jesus this morning and remind us of what life in the Spirit looks 101 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:36,340 like? 102 00:05:36,340 --> 00:05:37,340 We thank you. 103 00:05:37,340 --> 00:05:41,200 We need you desperately. 104 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:44,560 May your word go forth in Jesus' name. 105 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:47,160 Amen. 106 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:50,680 So what does it look like to live by the Spirit? 107 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:57,400 Does it look like Sister Rachel Nitton's life of solitude if we consider the words of Paul 108 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:01,040 in chapter 6 verses 1 through 5? 109 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:09,040 But perhaps today before you came and you were thinking about life in the Spirit, somebody 110 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:12,480 asked you what does life in the Spirit look like? 111 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:18,240 Perhaps you would have connected that to a degree of spiritual gifts. 112 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:22,760 You know, you've got to be a really gifted person to be living in the Spirit. 113 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:27,480 Maybe you would have connected it to more of the miraculous gifts or speaking in tongues 114 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:32,280 or something of that nature, maybe the gifts of knowledge and wisdom, the ability to teach. 115 00:06:32,280 --> 00:06:37,080 But here we see Paul's not talking about giftedness here. 116 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:38,320 Every believer has a gift. 117 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:41,320 We've talked about spiritual gifts when we walked through 1 Corinthians. 118 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:46,680 That's, and I'm not diminishing spiritual gifts, nor am I diminishing time alone with 119 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:49,760 the Lord in prayer, solitude. 120 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:52,040 I do think that that's important. 121 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:58,800 Those have their purposes, but a life lived in the Spirit isn't necessarily evidenced 122 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:03,360 by the degree of giftedness one has. 123 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:09,180 Here we see a life lived in the Spirit is actually evidenced by being in what we would 124 00:07:09,180 --> 00:07:10,840 call biblical community. 125 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:17,200 It's being engaged in the messiness of everyday life with other people. 126 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:19,920 That's what living by the Spirit looks like. 127 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:24,720 We can say it like this for the note takers out there, living by the Spirit is looking 128 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:28,100 outward in love while looking inward in humility. 129 00:07:28,100 --> 00:07:32,960 If we considered all of these verses, verses 1 through 5, and put them in a sentence, it 130 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:37,640 would be this, living by the Spirit is looking outward in love while looking inward in humility. 131 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:40,140 Now we're in chapter 6 of Galatians. 132 00:07:40,140 --> 00:07:41,140 Some of you are new. 133 00:07:41,140 --> 00:07:44,680 You weren't here for chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, or maybe even 5, right? 134 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:51,400 Paul has laid out before this church that has been duped since he planted these churches 135 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:56,800 by these false teachers that there is one gospel, and the gospel is this, that God came 136 00:07:56,800 --> 00:08:01,200 down in human flesh to live a life we couldn't live, to die a death we deserved to die. 137 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:04,600 He rose in victory, and that is imputed to us by what? 138 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:05,920 Faith alone. 139 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:11,320 We are made righteous solely by the work of Christ, not by anything that we have done. 140 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:15,000 There's no additive needed to the gospel. 141 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,000 That was his argument in the first half of this book. 142 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:19,000 That was his indicative. 143 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:26,320 We are righteous by faith alone, in Christ alone, and that's where true freedom is found. 144 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:27,640 True freedom is found, right? 145 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:32,920 Christ has redeemed us from the market of idolatry, the slave market of idolatry. 146 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:37,320 Why would we go back to the same slave market and just package it under legalism, right? 147 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:41,300 That was kind of his argument there in chapter 4, and then we moved into chapter 5, and he 148 00:08:41,300 --> 00:08:47,120 reminded the church of true freedom, and true freedom isn't using freedom just for freedom's 149 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:48,120 sake. 150 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:50,120 It's actually using freedom to serve others. 151 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:56,440 Free people love people, and then last week Nathan reminded us in verses 16 through 26 152 00:08:56,440 --> 00:09:01,160 that we are at war as believers. 153 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:07,040 We live out freedom because we have the indwelling Holy Spirit inside of us, but we also have 154 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:15,280 the indwelling sin, the flesh, and there are fruits of sin, but there's the fruit of the 155 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:16,280 Spirit. 156 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:23,720 And so we considered last week what the Spirit does in the life of a believer, and this week 157 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:31,520 we'll consider how that looks, the concrete evidence for living by the Spirit. 158 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:33,560 That's where we're going this morning. 159 00:09:33,560 --> 00:09:39,680 So my outline is simple, three outworkings of living by the Spirit. 160 00:09:39,680 --> 00:09:41,680 We'll see in verse 1, the first is this. 161 00:09:41,680 --> 00:09:46,720 If you're living by the Spirit, you repair wonders. 162 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:48,640 Now what do I mean? 163 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:52,560 Paul says, brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should 164 00:09:52,560 --> 00:09:56,940 restore him in a spirit of gentleness. 165 00:09:56,940 --> 00:09:59,400 Keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted. 166 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:02,960 Notice Paul's language has shifted. 167 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:09,480 He's not perplexed, although he is, but he's not as upset as he was earlier in the letter. 168 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:10,480 They're not fools. 169 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:11,480 They're brothers. 170 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:13,080 They're brothers and sisters. 171 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:14,080 They're family. 172 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:15,320 Paul's concerned. 173 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:19,760 He cares about these Galatians. 174 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:26,640 Notice he says, if anyone, underline that, is caught in, underline, any transgression, 175 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:30,320 sin. 176 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:35,480 Paul is implying a reality that we all know to be true. 177 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:40,960 Just because you're a Christian doesn't mean sin gives up the battle. 178 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:43,360 Christians still sin. 179 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:49,680 It shouldn't surprise us that we scroll on social media and we see a well-known pastor 180 00:10:49,680 --> 00:10:52,320 caught in sin. 181 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:55,600 Shouldn't surprise us that we have a friend that's a professing believer and has been 182 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:59,800 for a long time caught in sin. 183 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:02,200 And sin. 184 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:08,000 But Paul's going to tell us how we deal with that sin. 185 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:14,960 The word caught in the Greek is a word that literally means to be taken by surprise, to 186 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:18,880 be caught off guard. 187 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:24,420 What Paul is doing is he's highlighting a practice in the church that we call church 188 00:11:24,420 --> 00:11:26,680 discipline. 189 00:11:26,680 --> 00:11:27,680 Church discipline. 190 00:11:27,680 --> 00:11:29,260 Maybe you're new to Christianity. 191 00:11:29,260 --> 00:11:30,640 Maybe you're new to the church. 192 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:35,880 And you heard the word discipline and that didn't sit quite well with you. 193 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:38,440 What do you mean discipline? 194 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:40,560 It's actually a good thing. 195 00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:41,560 Discipline's a good thing. 196 00:11:41,560 --> 00:11:42,560 Right? 197 00:11:42,560 --> 00:11:45,280 Just like in a home, discipline's healthy for your children. 198 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:48,520 Discipline's a good thing in the church. 199 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:49,520 And here's the deal. 200 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:51,960 We're all being disciplined as Christians. 201 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:56,480 Right now you're actually being disciplined by the Holy Spirit through the Word. 202 00:11:56,480 --> 00:12:00,560 All of us are being disciplined in what we would call a formative way. 203 00:12:00,560 --> 00:12:04,980 We're being formed into the image of Christ as we're convicted of our sin, as we daily 204 00:12:04,980 --> 00:12:06,560 repent of that. 205 00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:10,300 But at times there needs to be more discipline. 206 00:12:10,300 --> 00:12:12,720 And we call that corrective discipline. 207 00:12:12,720 --> 00:12:15,580 When a brother or sister is not repentant. 208 00:12:15,580 --> 00:12:17,960 When they're wandering away in sin. 209 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:25,200 And it is the responsibility of the church body to pursue that individual. 210 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:26,360 That's what Paul is talking about. 211 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:32,600 We would say Jesus gives this prescription for a healthy church in Matthew 18 verses 212 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:33,600 1 through 5. 213 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:35,200 We're going to go there in a moment. 214 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:37,560 We're talking about step one, the first step. 215 00:12:37,560 --> 00:12:42,480 And if we execute the first step the right way by God's grace through the work of the 216 00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:46,160 Holy Spirit, hopefully there's not step two. 217 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:47,160 You with me? 218 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:48,160 There's not step two. 219 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:52,080 So discipline is not a bad thing because Christians are going to sin. 220 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:54,640 They're going to be caught off guard. 221 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:56,520 They're going to be deceived. 222 00:12:56,520 --> 00:13:05,160 We read a text from Genesis 4 that likened sin to a lion ready to pounce on its prey. 223 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:06,280 Let's first understand this. 224 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:11,960 Just because you're saved doesn't mean you're immune from sin. 225 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:17,440 And if you're not vigilant in your battle with sin, if you're lax, oh you will be caught 226 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:21,800 off guard. 227 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:25,600 I'll use a sports analogy because college football is so crazy this year. 228 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:26,600 You know what? 229 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:27,600 The sun came up, Dawgs fans. 230 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:30,840 The sun came up today. 231 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:32,800 But it is kind of a crazy season, right? 232 00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:36,520 I mean, every Saturday there's an upset. 233 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:37,520 Because why? 234 00:13:37,520 --> 00:13:41,080 Because superior opponents are not taking serious inferior opponents. 235 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:44,720 And by the time the third and fourth quarter roll around, you've got a game and then you 236 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:47,400 get an upset. 237 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:55,560 Sin, if you do not take sin serious before you know it, you will be walking in it. 238 00:13:55,560 --> 00:13:57,920 Beware. 239 00:13:57,920 --> 00:13:59,440 So that's going to happen. 240 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:01,640 What do we do when that happens? 241 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:06,000 Paul says you who are spiritual, restore him. 242 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:12,800 Now what Paul is not doing is saying there's a certain category of Christians who are responsible 243 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:14,360 for executing this discipline. 244 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:15,360 Paul's not into that. 245 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:18,120 Paul's not into creating divisions in the church. 246 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:20,600 There's not a spiritual elitist club. 247 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:22,280 Who are those who are spiritual? 248 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:24,760 Those who have the indwelling Holy Spirit in them. 249 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:28,480 If you're a Christian, he's talking to you. 250 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:29,480 He's talking to you. 251 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:31,720 You don't get out of this. 252 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:37,840 By the way, church discipline isn't merely to be executed by the elders. 253 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:38,840 It's not how it works. 254 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:41,600 It can get to that point. 255 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:43,680 This happens on the ground. 256 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:46,960 The elders might not ever even know about it. 257 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:48,140 Hopefully. 258 00:14:48,140 --> 00:14:54,800 You who are spiritual, you're living in step with the Spirit. 259 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:55,800 You get this privilege. 260 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:57,640 It's a privilege. 261 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:06,840 And it's an obligation for the purity of the church, for the defense of the gospel, for 262 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:11,800 the glory of God, for your good and the good of the wonder to participate in this. 263 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:13,640 And Paul tells how, right? 264 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:15,880 Here's where we really have to lean into. 265 00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:17,520 How do we do this? 266 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:18,520 He gives two tools. 267 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:22,280 Notice he says, it should be done in a spirit of what? 268 00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:23,280 Gentleness. 269 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:27,240 Didn't we see that word last week? 270 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:28,760 What does the flesh produce? 271 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:30,160 What does the Spirit produce? 272 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:31,680 The fruit of the Spirit. 273 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:36,320 Nathan did an excellent job of showing us those traits. 274 00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:39,960 They're not fruits of the Spirit. 275 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:43,240 If you're indwelt by the Spirit, you can't say, I'm a patient person, but I'm not a gentle 276 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:46,120 person. 277 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:51,200 You might exercise more patience than gentleness at times, but you have gentleness in you because 278 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:57,040 you have the Holy Spirit in you who is a gentle God. 279 00:15:57,040 --> 00:16:03,480 He told us that these are all produced by a heart that's unified because of the regenerating 280 00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:04,720 work of the Holy Spirit. 281 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:08,080 Again, maybe not perfectly, but they're there. 282 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:09,120 So this would make sense. 283 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:15,880 If you're a spiritual person, you would restore this person exercising a fruit of the Spirit. 284 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:22,280 Gentleness, which means if you're ever in a situation where you're confronting another 285 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:26,840 brother or sister in sin and you're deeply concerned and you go to them, the first thing 286 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:32,160 you probably should not say is, I cannot believe that you would have done something as stupid 287 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:34,880 as this. 288 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:37,040 Or I would have never done that. 289 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:38,560 Or what were you thinking? 290 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:41,880 Those are probably not the first words you should lead with. 291 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:42,880 Why? 292 00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:46,160 Well, that's not very gentle. 293 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:54,360 And then notice what he says next, keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 294 00:16:54,360 --> 00:17:01,440 So the first way that we go about discipline is in gentleness, and the second way is in 295 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:03,440 humility. 296 00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:05,640 Humility. 297 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:10,480 I do think it's important to note that the purpose of this type of discipline is not 298 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:13,480 punitive. 299 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:15,880 It's not punitive. 300 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:23,080 The word restore here is actually the Greek word used to describe the mending of fishing 301 00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:24,080 nets. 302 00:17:24,080 --> 00:17:32,000 And it was actually used to describe a medical process of repairing a broken bone, resetting 303 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:35,320 the bone back in place. 304 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:37,440 It's healing. 305 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:39,680 It's healing. 306 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:40,680 And it's needed. 307 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:44,680 And the way that we go about it is gentleness and humility. 308 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:48,560 Now why would Paul say, keep a watch out on yourself, lest you too be tempted? 309 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:50,280 That puzzled me this week. 310 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:56,480 Perhaps Paul means you could fall into the same sin that you're trying to confront. 311 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,520 But remember what Paul said in verse 26, and we're going to come back to this in a little 312 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:00,520 bit. 313 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:06,200 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another, or perhaps you've 314 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:10,360 got some pride in you that you need to deal with before you go address this brother or 315 00:18:10,360 --> 00:18:11,360 sister. 316 00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:12,360 I'm not quite sure. 317 00:18:12,360 --> 00:18:16,600 It's either one or it's both. 318 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:21,640 But I'm reminded of Jesus' words in Matthew chapter 7, verses 1 through 5. 319 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:25,400 It's words that you probably have heard. 320 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:28,520 Jesus says, judge not that you not be judged. 321 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:32,280 We like to throw that out a lot. 322 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:36,520 But let's read what Jesus says next, because Jesus is not condemning judging in the sense 323 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:40,040 of looking at the fruit of someone's life and saying, that's not in step with the gospel. 324 00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:42,920 That's not what Jesus is saying. 325 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:46,360 He says, for with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you 326 00:18:46,360 --> 00:18:48,080 use, it will be measured to you. 327 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:51,400 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but you don't even notice the log that 328 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:52,400 is in your own eye? 329 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:57,000 Or how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye? 330 00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:59,360 When there is a log in your own eye, you hypocrite. 331 00:18:59,360 --> 00:19:02,760 First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck 332 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:04,360 out of your brother's eye. 333 00:19:04,360 --> 00:19:07,720 Jesus is condemning hypocritical judgment. 334 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:13,440 See, I think Paul is warning us of hypocrisy here. 335 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:16,080 Watch out. 336 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:24,060 So before we ever pursue someone, the correct heart posture is one of prayer and examination 337 00:19:24,060 --> 00:19:27,200 and looking in the mirror. 338 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:29,520 And looking in the mirror. 339 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:33,120 I want to focus on that word repair for a moment. 340 00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:36,880 That setting back into place of a broken bone. 341 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:42,320 When our oldest daughter, who is away at college right now, when she was two years old, my 342 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:47,600 wife and I, I think she was changing the diaper in our bedroom, and we had a queen size bed, 343 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:51,120 and she just walked out for just a split second to go get a diaper, go get a wipe, something 344 00:19:51,120 --> 00:19:52,120 like that. 345 00:19:52,120 --> 00:19:53,120 I can't remember exactly. 346 00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:57,600 She rolled off and she broke her radius bone right here, the lower part of her radius bone. 347 00:19:57,600 --> 00:19:59,360 She was two, keep that in mind. 348 00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:03,640 Very traumatic event, probably one of the most traumatic events in our 20 years of marriage. 349 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:06,600 I know the most traumatic event in my daughter's life. 350 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:07,600 Very traumatic. 351 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:10,480 So we go to the emergency room, she gets a cast, we've got to go to the doctor, like 352 00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:13,920 a couple days later we go, and the doctor looks at me and says, there's only one remedy 353 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:15,640 for a break like this. 354 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:17,920 I have to reset that thing. 355 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:22,560 And she's too young for anesthesia. 356 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:24,960 You've got to see where this is going. 357 00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:27,400 My daughter, by the way, hates doctors, and I don't blame her. 358 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:28,400 I mean, I don't blame her. 359 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:31,720 To this day, she can't stand, I don't blame her. 360 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:38,480 So I had to hold my daughter as the doctor, and it was painful for him. 361 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:39,880 It was painful for me. 362 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:43,220 You can imagine how painful it was for my daughter. 363 00:20:43,220 --> 00:20:44,220 So here's the deal. 364 00:20:44,220 --> 00:20:50,240 Church discipline is never, never painted in the picture as like an easy process. 365 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:56,000 It's going to be a painful process, but it is the process that the good physician has 366 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:58,120 given for the health of his church. 367 00:20:58,120 --> 00:20:59,720 There's not another process. 368 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:02,720 There's not another process. 369 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:04,400 We can't just go make up one. 370 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:05,400 This is the process. 371 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:06,400 Could it be painful? 372 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:08,040 Can it be, can it hurt? 373 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:10,400 Yes, but it is good at the end of the day. 374 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:12,380 It's for the glory of God. 375 00:21:12,380 --> 00:21:16,600 It's for the beauty of his bride, and it's for the good of the one that is walking in 376 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:17,960 sin. 377 00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:18,960 That's the process. 378 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:22,360 It's a remedy. 379 00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:29,080 Discipline is painful, but this is for our good, which I don't know if you've ever made 380 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:30,880 the connection here. 381 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:34,280 This is why belonging to a church is so important. 382 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:40,000 There is no way to practice church discipline apart from the church. 383 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:42,180 How can you do it? 384 00:21:42,180 --> 00:21:44,520 So maybe you're here this morning, you've never really thought about that. 385 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:48,400 You would say you're a Christian, but you haven't identified as a part of a church, 386 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:49,400 and I'm not here to shame you. 387 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:51,080 I'm just here to encourage you. 388 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:53,280 I'm just here to make you think. 389 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:56,880 Who's going to confront you when you've been deceived by sin? 390 00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:58,920 Who are you holding yourself accountable to? 391 00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:02,680 Are there other brothers and sisters in your life that you're that close with that are 392 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:06,920 Christians as well, that you've said, I'll identify with you? 393 00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:11,640 You know that's what membership is. 394 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:15,120 Who is even going to know that you're struggling with a sin that you've turned a blind eye 395 00:22:15,120 --> 00:22:18,080 to? 396 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:19,480 That's what happens when you get caught in a sin. 397 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:21,280 You don't even know you're in that sin. 398 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:23,880 Or you do, and you're so hard you don't want to repent. 399 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:28,520 And you're going to continue to wander away until someone points it out. 400 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:33,240 See when you join a church, and I know for some of you that language doesn't sit well, 401 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:35,240 but it's a good thing. 402 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:39,620 See one thing that you are doing is you're willingly submitting yourself to loving discipline 403 00:22:39,620 --> 00:22:41,760 such as what we see here. 404 00:22:41,760 --> 00:22:47,360 And you're willingly agreeing at the same time to participate in humble discipline. 405 00:22:47,360 --> 00:22:52,080 In for the glory of God and the purity of His church and ultimately for your good. 406 00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:56,840 As we consider living a life of the Spirit means we repair those who are wandering. 407 00:22:56,840 --> 00:22:59,760 Let me ask you a question that you have to answer. 408 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:02,480 Are there people in your life that profess to follow Christ? 409 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:07,440 Perhaps they're in our own church, in your small group, or in your Bible study. 410 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:12,200 And you know they're caught up in a sin, but you won't say anything. 411 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:16,180 And maybe you've made excuses as to why. 412 00:23:16,180 --> 00:23:21,720 Maybe you'd say something like, well I'm not a very confrontational person. 413 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:26,000 Did Paul say you who are confrontational? 414 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:30,040 He said you who are spiritual. 415 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:33,280 That's what he said. 416 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:36,760 Whether or not confrontation's in your wheelhouse, that doesn't matter. 417 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:38,640 Paul doesn't say that. 418 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:42,560 Nor does Paul say there's a level of knowledge that you have to have about this individual. 419 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:46,800 Because you could say, well I don't know them well enough to do that. 420 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:48,000 That's not what Paul says either. 421 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:51,240 You who are spiritual. 422 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:56,400 You see what we need to understand is without humble, gentle confrontation there can be 423 00:23:56,400 --> 00:24:00,000 no healthy restoration. 424 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:04,720 Jesus said in Matthew 18 verses 1 through 5, what's the first step if your brother sins 425 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:06,080 against you? 426 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:07,760 Go. 427 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:09,800 Don't stay. 428 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:11,400 Go. 429 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:13,000 Tell him his fault. 430 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:14,000 How? 431 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:18,040 Between you and him alone? 432 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:20,600 It's not a shameful process. 433 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:22,160 It's not a condemning process. 434 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:24,040 It's a very gracious process. 435 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:25,880 And it escalates from there. 436 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:30,280 But he says if he listens to you, and hopefully he does as you pray and you ask the Spirit 437 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:32,240 for conviction, what? 438 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:33,720 You have gained your brother. 439 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:38,920 He's back in the family. 440 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:39,920 Let me ask you this. 441 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:42,680 Maybe you're the wanderer and you didn't even know it. 442 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:45,760 Has sin caught you off guard? 443 00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:46,840 You've been living in isolation. 444 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:48,440 You haven't been near the church. 445 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:50,520 You're not in a group. 446 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:53,560 Maybe you come on Sundays, but that's kind of your level of commitment right now. 447 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:54,920 Well let me tell you this. 448 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:58,480 Restoration can't happen in isolation either. 449 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:02,840 Because living by the Spirit means you're involved in the messiness of everyday life 450 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:04,560 with other people. 451 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:08,520 It's how it works. 452 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:10,760 And this is a gospel issue by the way. 453 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:18,600 The motivation for this is because Jesus is the one who pursued us when we wandered. 454 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:22,600 He's the one that chased us down to the hound of heaven, his Holy Spirit, when we didn't 455 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:27,320 want anything to do with him and restored us back to fellowship. 456 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:33,680 He is the one that took upon himself our guilt, our shame, our condemnation, our sin, and 457 00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:34,680 dwelt us with his Spirit. 458 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:37,340 I mean look at what God has done to pursue us. 459 00:25:37,340 --> 00:25:39,680 We pursue others. 460 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:44,160 The second outworking of living a life in the Spirit is bearing burdens. 461 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:46,340 We bear burdens. 462 00:25:46,340 --> 00:25:50,160 Verse two says, bear one another burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. 463 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:53,600 Let's deal with the second part before we deal with the first part, or I'm going to 464 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:54,600 forget. 465 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:55,600 What is the law of Christ? 466 00:25:55,600 --> 00:26:02,680 Well we saw in chapter five verse fourteen that the law is fulfilled in one simple statement. 467 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:04,640 Love your neighbor as yourself. 468 00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:09,400 Now Paul has talked about the law in a way of, like it's negative if you're going to 469 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:14,200 use the law to seek God's favor. 470 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:17,900 But that's not why God loves us or accepts us because we obey. 471 00:26:17,900 --> 00:26:19,360 That's not it. 472 00:26:19,360 --> 00:26:22,360 That's legalism. 473 00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:26,080 God loves and accepts us not on our work but based solely on Christ's work. 474 00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:29,200 We place our faith in him and we are made righteous by that. 475 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:30,200 But something happens. 476 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:31,200 We're free now. 477 00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:33,920 We're not free to go back to the chains of idolatry. 478 00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:37,480 We're not free to go back to the slave market of legalism. 479 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:40,280 We're free now through the Holy Spirit to love others. 480 00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:45,000 That's what we saw in chapter fifteen and verse fourteen he says that's really the law. 481 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:46,520 In summary, love others. 482 00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:47,520 Love one another. 483 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:48,780 Love your neighbor as yourself. 484 00:26:48,780 --> 00:26:53,560 And here Paul is saying bearing the burdens of others is fulfilling that law, the law 485 00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:54,900 of Christ. 486 00:26:54,900 --> 00:26:57,760 But what does bearing burdens mean? 487 00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:02,440 Maybe you've heard this verse disconnected from verse one and verses three, four, and 488 00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:03,440 five. 489 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:04,440 We don't want to do that. 490 00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:05,440 That's not a good way to study scripture. 491 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:09,240 We don't want to pull a verse out of its context. 492 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:14,640 I think it's important to note that the primary way that we bear burdens is by pursuing those 493 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:19,800 who are walking away from the faith, who are living in sin. 494 00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:20,800 Note that. 495 00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:28,040 In fact, throughout church history, the reformers, the faithful church fathers before them interpreted 496 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:34,120 verse two in light of verse one to mean that bearing burdens has to do with confronting 497 00:27:34,120 --> 00:27:40,560 brothers and sisters who are walking in unrepentant sin. 498 00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:43,880 So we can't fully disconnect those. 499 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:49,040 That's primarily the emphasis here and he's saying those who live by the Spirit are called 500 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:50,040 to bear these burdens. 501 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:54,200 Now the word burden is different than the word load that we're going to see in verse 502 00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:58,120 five and it's important that we note that right now so we can see kind of what Paul 503 00:27:58,120 --> 00:28:00,680 is saying as we work our way through this text. 504 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:08,600 The word burden means something heavy, a load that you carry a long distance. 505 00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:13,880 Now I do think it's important that we note that burdens are more than just sins. 506 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:17,480 They're loads that we have that we can't carry alone. 507 00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:20,880 Which is why God designed us to live in community. 508 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:22,320 We're not to live in isolation. 509 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:23,320 That's not good. 510 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:27,360 He said that man should be alone. 511 00:28:27,360 --> 00:28:31,960 Now we will see there are certain burdens, loads that we have to bear on our own that 512 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:35,400 we're accountable for. 513 00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:38,600 But if you've been a Christian for any amount of time you've probably dealt with a burden 514 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:40,920 that you can't carry alone. 515 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:46,340 Maybe it's a physical ailment, maybe it's a relational burden, someone in your family. 516 00:28:46,340 --> 00:28:52,560 Maybe it's a financial burden, a load that you can't bear on your own. 517 00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:57,080 Maybe it is a temptation or a sin that you just can't kick. 518 00:28:57,080 --> 00:29:02,360 There is a corporate responsibility to bear one another's burdens and this is one way 519 00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:04,880 we show how much we love one another. 520 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:07,680 This is how we use our freedom. 521 00:29:07,680 --> 00:29:09,080 I've quoted Martin Luther quite a bit. 522 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:10,440 Let me quote him at least one more time. 523 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:17,240 He said, Christians need to have broad shoulders and husky bones. 524 00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:24,680 Christians must have broad shoulders and husky bones because we're bearing the loads of others. 525 00:29:24,680 --> 00:29:27,160 Now I do think it's important that we make a few disclaimers here. 526 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:32,760 Paul is not teaching us that we're responsible for the sins of others. 527 00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:40,840 We're responsible to confront others who are professing believers and gently and lovingly 528 00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:44,320 point out their error while we inspect our own hearts. 529 00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:47,560 Now we're not responsible for whether or not they repent. 530 00:29:47,560 --> 00:29:50,880 That's the Holy Spirit's job. 531 00:29:50,880 --> 00:29:54,080 We're not the Holy Spirit. 532 00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:57,960 We're also not responsible to force them to repent. 533 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:03,720 They're going to be held accountable for their own sin and there are certain burdens that 534 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:08,360 we, we just can't bear that burden the way that the person who has the burden can bear 535 00:30:08,360 --> 00:30:09,360 it. 536 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:15,280 We cannot weigh ourselves down because there's this change we want to see in a person and 537 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:18,040 it's not happening. 538 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:22,680 Because the point of bearing burdens is to get the person to the ultimate burden bearer 539 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:25,880 who is Jesus. 540 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:30,320 And if you're not getting them to the burden bearer, you're not really bearing the burden. 541 00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:35,080 You know, you're doing what the world can do. 542 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:36,600 A temporary fix. 543 00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:38,560 A band-aid over a problem. 544 00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:43,760 You're not getting them to the remedy. 545 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:44,960 Now I know what some of you are thinking. 546 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:47,640 Aren't we supposed to take our burdens to the Lord individually? 547 00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:50,160 Of course we are. 548 00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:52,560 First Peter 3 says that we're to cast our cares. 549 00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:54,040 I think it's First Peter 3. 550 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:55,680 Peter writes this somewhere. 551 00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:57,960 Cast our cares on him because why? 552 00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:00,600 He cares for us. 553 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:02,140 Yes. 554 00:31:02,140 --> 00:31:10,040 We are to cast our anxieties, our worries, our financial worries, our physical worries, 555 00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:12,040 our children at time. 556 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:13,040 Relationships. 557 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:14,800 We're to cast that on the Lord. 558 00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:16,800 He does care. 559 00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:22,480 And this does not mitigate the command to do that, does it? 560 00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:23,480 No, it doesn't. 561 00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:24,480 Why? 562 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:29,360 Because here's one way that Jesus bears the burdens of his people is through his people 563 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:32,360 bearing one another's burdens. 564 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:35,040 How do I know that? 565 00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:39,280 Second Corinthians 7 verses 5 through 6. 566 00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:40,840 Second Corinthians 7 verses 5 through 6. 567 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:41,840 Look at this text. 568 00:31:41,840 --> 00:31:48,000 Paul says this, for even when we came into Macedonia our bodies had no rest, but we were 569 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:53,960 afflicted at every turn fighting without and fear within. 570 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:56,360 Fighting outside and we were feared within. 571 00:31:56,360 --> 00:31:59,200 He was burdened. 572 00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:03,880 And I'm sure Paul went to the Lord and casted those burdens on him, but look at what the 573 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:10,880 text says, but God who comforts the downcast, how did God comfort Paul? 574 00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:13,320 How did he relieve some of this burden? 575 00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:18,640 Look, comforted us by the coming of Titus. 576 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:26,240 It wasn't just through prayer that God relieved the burden and comforted Paul. 577 00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:29,400 It wasn't just through Bible reading. 578 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:32,320 Am I saying those things aren't important? 579 00:32:32,320 --> 00:32:33,320 Of course not. 580 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:37,480 Those are very important. 581 00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:43,960 It was through another Christian brother. 582 00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:48,040 Who is your Titus? 583 00:32:48,040 --> 00:32:52,140 Some of you don't have a Titus. 584 00:32:52,140 --> 00:32:55,800 You haven't put yourself out to even be known by other people in the church. 585 00:32:55,800 --> 00:33:00,440 I'm encouraging you, get a Titus in your life. 586 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:04,320 Someone you can go to, someone you can confess your sins to, someone you can be real with 587 00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:05,320 and honest with. 588 00:33:05,320 --> 00:33:08,240 You don't have to put on a mask or put up a front. 589 00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:11,400 Someone you can just share the messiness of life. 590 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:14,200 It's very important that you have a Titus. 591 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:17,660 But here's a better question to ask. 592 00:33:17,660 --> 00:33:21,600 Are you a Titus to someone? 593 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:25,160 Who's your Paul? 594 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:28,520 That's a better question to ask. 595 00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:31,600 Why don't know? 596 00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:34,880 Maybe you've been coming just for a few weeks and you don't even know the importance of 597 00:33:34,880 --> 00:33:38,200 gospel community groups. 598 00:33:38,200 --> 00:33:39,200 We don't just do them to do them. 599 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:42,400 We don't just do them so you can have fellowship and fun with one another. 600 00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:45,480 And oftentimes that is the case. 601 00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:53,520 But we do them so organically you can have a Titus and someone else can be the Paul. 602 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:56,200 Just to help bear the burdens of one another. 603 00:33:56,200 --> 00:33:59,840 Let me ask you this. 604 00:33:59,840 --> 00:34:03,920 If you're feeling weighed down by a burden, have you allowed others in on the burden bearing 605 00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:05,880 process? 606 00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:09,080 And I would argue if you haven't, you know why you haven't? 607 00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:13,400 Because you've bought into the lie of self-sufficiency. 608 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:16,000 Because that is what our culture preaches, isn't it? 609 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:18,680 Put your head down and get through it. 610 00:34:18,680 --> 00:34:21,840 You don't have to bother them with your mess. 611 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:24,240 And we think that. 612 00:34:24,240 --> 00:34:29,120 Now disclaimer, there's certain things in life that you shouldn't bother a brother. 613 00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:32,840 That is your, we'll see in a moment, your load to bear. 614 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:34,340 Right? 615 00:34:34,340 --> 00:34:35,340 Your load to bear. 616 00:34:35,340 --> 00:34:40,020 It's not the church's responsibility to be the babysitters for your kids, right? 617 00:34:40,020 --> 00:34:42,280 God gave you those kids. 618 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:49,440 Now we helped support you in your discipleship process. 619 00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:52,040 But self-sufficiency, you know where self-sufficiency comes from? 620 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:54,220 It comes from Satan. 621 00:34:54,220 --> 00:34:55,500 It's a lie. 622 00:34:55,500 --> 00:34:56,880 It's always been a lie. 623 00:34:56,880 --> 00:34:57,880 You can do it. 624 00:34:57,880 --> 00:34:59,280 Eve, you can do it. 625 00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:01,520 Adam and Eve, you can be like God. 626 00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:03,880 You don't need him. 627 00:35:03,880 --> 00:35:05,680 That's a lie. 628 00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:08,300 Christians don't operate that way. 629 00:35:08,300 --> 00:35:09,800 Christians are not independent. 630 00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:12,980 They are interdependent. 631 00:35:12,980 --> 00:35:16,100 Which is so counter-cultural to the world. 632 00:35:16,100 --> 00:35:19,080 You know why the world's not attracted to Christianity? 633 00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:23,200 Because we look just like them at times. 634 00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:27,480 We're in our own little bubbles, our own little isolated bubbles, and there's no attraction 635 00:35:27,480 --> 00:35:28,480 in that. 636 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:32,520 That's what the world does. 637 00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:34,520 Self-sufficiency is a lie. 638 00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:35,520 And here's another thing. 639 00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:39,320 You can't bear others' burdens if you don't know the burdens of others or you're unwilling 640 00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:43,440 to get underneath their burden. 641 00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:45,240 Be known. 642 00:35:45,240 --> 00:35:46,240 No others. 643 00:35:46,240 --> 00:35:48,960 So you might say, how can I bear burdens? 644 00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:50,240 Number one, seek. 645 00:35:50,240 --> 00:35:51,240 Seek them out. 646 00:35:51,240 --> 00:35:53,600 Are you seeking them out? 647 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:55,160 Just look around. 648 00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:57,420 Be involved. 649 00:35:57,420 --> 00:36:02,320 Number two, and don't miss this, the most important way that we bear one another's burdens 650 00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:05,400 is praying for one another. 651 00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:11,520 It makes no sense to skip this step, if we call this a step. 652 00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:14,720 Who is the ultimate burden bearer? 653 00:36:14,720 --> 00:36:16,380 Jesus. 654 00:36:16,380 --> 00:36:20,580 Our responsibility is to get the load to Him. 655 00:36:20,580 --> 00:36:23,160 Prayer is one of those ways that we do that. 656 00:36:23,160 --> 00:36:26,120 Constantly, continually praying for one another. 657 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:30,800 So like my small group, Gospel Community Group, I've got to start changing the language myself, 658 00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:31,860 I'm sorry. 659 00:36:31,860 --> 00:36:36,060 We send out the prayer request after our group. 660 00:36:36,060 --> 00:36:42,320 And I'm guilty of not looking at it during the week after it's sent out. 661 00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:46,920 Here's a practice we can all grow in. 662 00:36:46,920 --> 00:36:48,760 Start praying for them throughout the week. 663 00:36:48,760 --> 00:36:51,280 Go back to the text message. 664 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:53,360 And the third thing we can do is actually serve. 665 00:36:53,360 --> 00:36:57,280 What do we have that can help bear the burden of that person? 666 00:36:57,280 --> 00:36:58,280 Maybe it is financial. 667 00:36:58,280 --> 00:36:59,680 Maybe it's not. 668 00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:00,680 Maybe it is time. 669 00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:01,680 Maybe it's not. 670 00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:07,880 What do you have you can lean into, just like Jesus came to serve us, He condescended, He 671 00:37:07,880 --> 00:37:09,320 got up under our burden. 672 00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:12,280 What can you do to help get up under that burden? 673 00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:14,840 Because this too is a Gospel issue, right? 674 00:37:14,840 --> 00:37:19,400 He is the ultimate burden bearer and we reflect Him as we bear others burdens. 675 00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:22,200 But as we bear others burdens, we have to do this in humility. 676 00:37:22,200 --> 00:37:28,200 That's why I said living by the Spirit is looking outward in love, but it's also looking 677 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:29,800 inward in humility. 678 00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:33,760 Because notice where Paul goes next. 679 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:37,080 Look at what he says in verse 3, 4, if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, 680 00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:39,520 he deceives himself. 681 00:37:39,520 --> 00:37:46,160 The third outworking of the Spirit in the life of a believer is that we examine ourselves. 682 00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:51,880 Now at first glance, this puzzled me. 683 00:37:51,880 --> 00:37:55,760 In fact, this has puzzled me nearly all of this week. 684 00:37:55,760 --> 00:37:58,680 What is this doing here? 685 00:37:58,680 --> 00:38:03,520 We cannot disconnect this from what Paul has already said in chapter 5, verse 15 and what 686 00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:05,960 I read to you from chapter 5, verse 26. 687 00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:07,680 Let us not become conceited. 688 00:38:07,680 --> 00:38:15,120 That's puffed up, vain self-glory, provoking one another, envying one another. 689 00:38:15,120 --> 00:38:19,760 Where do those things come from? 690 00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:22,960 Where do those things come from? 691 00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:28,920 They come from a deeply insecure heart that is very prideful. 692 00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:36,120 Paul knows the propensity of the human heart to be prideful when we look at caring for 693 00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:39,360 others, confronting others, and he is addressing it right now. 694 00:38:39,360 --> 00:38:44,160 He is saying, yeah, you look outward, but not forget. 695 00:38:44,160 --> 00:38:48,040 You are just as capable of falling into sin. 696 00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:49,480 You can slip up. 697 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:50,480 You can wander. 698 00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:53,120 It can catch you. 699 00:38:53,120 --> 00:38:56,120 If you think you are something, you are nothing. 700 00:38:56,120 --> 00:38:59,920 It's a jab. 701 00:38:59,920 --> 00:39:05,160 But what Paul is doing is he is countering the two obstacles to bearing burdens and the 702 00:39:05,160 --> 00:39:06,760 first is conceit or pride. 703 00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:09,600 We are conceited people and we need not be. 704 00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:14,160 The gospel will not allow us to be conceited people. 705 00:39:14,160 --> 00:39:16,200 Conceited. 706 00:39:16,200 --> 00:39:22,320 I think of the Pharisee and the tax collector. 707 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:23,840 What did the Pharisee pray? 708 00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:26,880 I thank you God that I am not like that man. 709 00:39:26,880 --> 00:39:31,640 I am not an extortioner, a murderer, an adulterer. 710 00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:33,760 You guys remember that story? 711 00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:38,560 But what did the tax collector pray unlike the Pharisee? 712 00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:42,240 Have mercy on me, oh God, a sinner. 713 00:39:42,240 --> 00:39:51,600 The difference was the tax collector was looking upward and the Pharisee was looking outward. 714 00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:58,560 It's really easy to become prideful if all you do is start looking at other people, comparing 715 00:39:58,560 --> 00:40:05,640 yourself and saying, I'm not deal with that. 716 00:40:05,640 --> 00:40:12,720 One of the obstacles to burden bearing is conceit and the other is comparison. 717 00:40:12,720 --> 00:40:16,960 And I get this from verse 4, but let each one test his own work and then his reason 718 00:40:16,960 --> 00:40:20,880 to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor and that is very confusing 719 00:40:20,880 --> 00:40:25,840 because if you know Paul, you're like, Paul, wait, aren't you against human boasting? 720 00:40:25,840 --> 00:40:29,000 What is happening here? 721 00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:33,120 What do you mean, Paul? 722 00:40:33,120 --> 00:40:35,880 His reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor? 723 00:40:35,880 --> 00:40:42,440 Well, first of all, Paul's not referring to prideful selfish boasting. 724 00:40:42,440 --> 00:40:44,380 We need to think about what Paul is talking about. 725 00:40:44,380 --> 00:40:46,000 What does he mean not in his neighbor? 726 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:50,880 Why would he say you don't need to boast in your neighbor? 727 00:40:50,880 --> 00:40:59,640 Because how many times have we said, at least I'm not like my neighbor? 728 00:40:59,640 --> 00:41:04,480 I don't struggle with bitterness like she does. 729 00:41:04,480 --> 00:41:06,600 My kids are a little more well behaved than them. 730 00:41:06,600 --> 00:41:11,520 I can just figure this parenting thing out like me and my husband. 731 00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:17,720 At least I keep a clean house. 732 00:41:17,720 --> 00:41:19,720 Make a little more money than that guy, right? 733 00:41:19,720 --> 00:41:22,720 We're constantly comparing, or at least I don't struggle with that sin. 734 00:41:22,720 --> 00:41:25,120 Oh, I'm over that. 735 00:41:25,120 --> 00:41:27,960 See what Paul's doing? 736 00:41:27,960 --> 00:41:33,520 So if you look at your neighbor and you compare yourself to your neighbor, it's easy to boast. 737 00:41:33,520 --> 00:41:37,000 It's easy to boast. 738 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:41,840 It's easy to lift them up and say I'm not good enough like them, which is condemning. 739 00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:45,000 That's not the standard of righteousness anyways. 740 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:49,280 Or to exalt yourself over them, which is very prideful. 741 00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:53,080 Paul's making sure that Galatians know that each of them has an individual responsibility 742 00:41:53,080 --> 00:41:59,840 before the Lord and cannot grade themselves on a curve where the standard is someone else's 743 00:41:59,840 --> 00:42:00,840 life. 744 00:42:00,840 --> 00:42:05,640 We can't do that. 745 00:42:05,640 --> 00:42:06,640 That's comparison. 746 00:42:06,640 --> 00:42:07,640 Who's the standard? 747 00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:11,720 Is it someone else's life or is it God himself? 748 00:42:11,720 --> 00:42:13,880 That's the standard. 749 00:42:13,880 --> 00:42:19,240 So oftentimes when we love and serve one another, we're tempted to compare ourselves to one 750 00:42:19,240 --> 00:42:23,680 another, which leads to conceit and pride. 751 00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:26,180 And Paul is saying no. 752 00:42:26,180 --> 00:42:29,680 If you're going to boast, and Paul's not saying this negatively. 753 00:42:29,680 --> 00:42:31,760 Paul would say this in 1 Corinthians 3. 754 00:42:31,760 --> 00:42:35,640 That's a great cross reference to go there. 755 00:42:35,640 --> 00:42:40,280 You're going to boast in what God has done in you and through you with what he's given 756 00:42:40,280 --> 00:42:45,200 you because of his grace and mercy towards you. 757 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:50,160 Not in how much better you think you are than your neighbor or how much better you think 758 00:42:50,160 --> 00:42:51,160 they are than you. 759 00:42:51,160 --> 00:42:56,240 Because your own heart, examine your own self. 760 00:42:56,240 --> 00:43:01,360 That's why he says in verse 5, for each will have to bear his own load. 761 00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:06,120 The word will have is important. 762 00:43:06,120 --> 00:43:11,240 He doesn't say for each has to bear his own load or each has borne his own load. 763 00:43:11,240 --> 00:43:12,320 He says will have. 764 00:43:12,320 --> 00:43:13,320 That's important to note. 765 00:43:13,320 --> 00:43:14,720 That's in the future tense. 766 00:43:14,720 --> 00:43:22,740 Paul's looking forward to a time where we'll have to individually bear a load. 767 00:43:22,740 --> 00:43:23,740 Every commentator agrees. 768 00:43:23,740 --> 00:43:29,000 Paul is talking about the second coming of Christ, the final judgment. 769 00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:33,440 And it's also important to note the word load here is not the same as the word burden in 770 00:43:33,440 --> 00:43:34,440 verse 2. 771 00:43:34,440 --> 00:43:39,540 The word load here is actually the same word used to describe something akin to a backpack 772 00:43:39,540 --> 00:43:41,840 in the Greek world. 773 00:43:41,840 --> 00:43:44,980 Something much lighter but different. 774 00:43:44,980 --> 00:43:47,000 So we have corporate responsibility in verse 2. 775 00:43:47,000 --> 00:43:51,000 We have individual responsibility here in verses 4 and 5. 776 00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:54,880 What is Paul talking about? 777 00:43:54,880 --> 00:43:59,240 When Jesus comes back, there will be a judgment. 778 00:43:59,240 --> 00:44:01,160 But Paul is not teaching us. 779 00:44:01,160 --> 00:44:06,960 Paul is not teaching us that our works merit God's favor and Jesus will say, come in because 780 00:44:06,960 --> 00:44:08,840 you did this for me. 781 00:44:08,840 --> 00:44:14,240 No, on that great day when the Lord returns and the trump sounds and we see King Jesus 782 00:44:14,240 --> 00:44:17,880 coming back, he's going to look at the Father and say, they're mine. 783 00:44:17,880 --> 00:44:18,880 Why? 784 00:44:18,880 --> 00:44:21,520 Because look at my hands and look at my feet. 785 00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:23,480 I was nailed for their sins. 786 00:44:23,480 --> 00:44:24,480 They are mine. 787 00:44:24,480 --> 00:44:27,160 But then something's going to happen and Jesus says it. 788 00:44:27,160 --> 00:44:30,920 He says you better watch out because you're going to be held responsible for every careless 789 00:44:30,920 --> 00:44:33,960 word you say. 790 00:44:33,960 --> 00:44:38,800 Romans 14 verses 1 and 2, I mean verses 10 through 12. 791 00:44:38,800 --> 00:44:42,480 Paul says, why do you pass judgment on your brother? 792 00:44:42,480 --> 00:44:43,680 Why do you despise your brother? 793 00:44:43,680 --> 00:44:46,440 For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 794 00:44:46,440 --> 00:44:50,080 For it's written as I live says the Lord, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall 795 00:44:50,080 --> 00:45:00,400 confess to God so then each of us will give an account of himself to God. 796 00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:08,440 Paul is getting our gaze on eternity to help us examine our heart right now. 797 00:45:08,440 --> 00:45:09,680 Here's what I know. 798 00:45:09,680 --> 00:45:13,880 The Holy Spirit is a gracious gift in the life of a believer. 799 00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:19,680 A gracious gift that God himself indwells sinful people. 800 00:45:19,680 --> 00:45:24,880 None of us, none of us can ever take that for granted. 801 00:45:24,880 --> 00:45:29,200 And when Jesus returns and we stand before his throne in judgment, here's what I know 802 00:45:29,200 --> 00:45:31,360 will not happen. 803 00:45:31,360 --> 00:45:35,840 He will not take you and your neighbor and put you side by side and start tallying up 804 00:45:35,840 --> 00:45:37,840 the score. 805 00:45:37,840 --> 00:45:40,500 That ain't happening. 806 00:45:40,500 --> 00:45:43,320 He will not do that. 807 00:45:43,320 --> 00:45:47,220 Nor is he going to look at you, man in the room and say how many fantasy football championships 808 00:45:47,220 --> 00:45:48,220 did you win? 809 00:45:48,220 --> 00:45:52,840 And hey, I play fantasy football too. 810 00:45:52,840 --> 00:45:53,840 You get where I'm going. 811 00:45:53,840 --> 00:45:56,080 He's not going to look at you. 812 00:45:56,080 --> 00:46:00,080 He's not going to look at you and say what college degree did you get? 813 00:46:00,080 --> 00:46:02,000 How many zeros are in your bank account? 814 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:03,140 What car did you drive? 815 00:46:03,140 --> 00:46:08,360 How nice did you keep your house? 816 00:46:08,360 --> 00:46:11,120 How well mannered were your children? 817 00:46:11,120 --> 00:46:13,800 It's not what he's going to ask. 818 00:46:13,800 --> 00:46:17,440 He's not, and I'm not against a well cleaned house. 819 00:46:17,440 --> 00:46:19,080 I'm not against money. 820 00:46:19,080 --> 00:46:20,360 I'm not against those things. 821 00:46:20,360 --> 00:46:22,280 Please hear me. 822 00:46:22,280 --> 00:46:28,720 But if you think that that's what we're here for, you're dead wrong. 823 00:46:28,720 --> 00:46:30,840 You ever read John Piper's book, Don't Waste Your Life? 824 00:46:30,840 --> 00:46:34,240 If you've never read it, go read it. 825 00:46:34,240 --> 00:46:39,960 What are you doing with the Holy Spirit who is indwelling you and where God has sovereignly 826 00:46:39,960 --> 00:46:40,960 placed you? 827 00:46:40,960 --> 00:46:42,960 What are you doing with your time and your talent and your treasure? 828 00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:44,960 What are you doing? 829 00:46:44,960 --> 00:46:51,960 We're going to be held accountable not just for our words, but our actions and our lives. 830 00:46:51,960 --> 00:46:55,440 What are you doing with the breath that God has given you? 831 00:46:55,440 --> 00:46:58,360 What are you doing with the neighbor that God has placed you beside that doesn't know 832 00:46:58,360 --> 00:46:59,360 Jesus? 833 00:46:59,360 --> 00:47:02,560 What are you doing with that coworker who's so far from Jesus? 834 00:47:02,560 --> 00:47:05,000 What are you doing with your kids? 835 00:47:05,000 --> 00:47:08,780 What are you doing with what God has given you? 836 00:47:08,780 --> 00:47:11,880 So Paul is telling us, believers examine their self. 837 00:47:11,880 --> 00:47:15,080 We don't compare ourselves to one another. 838 00:47:15,080 --> 00:47:21,280 I think the problem with Christians is the same problem that Peter had after Jesus restored 839 00:47:21,280 --> 00:47:22,280 Peter. 840 00:47:22,280 --> 00:47:23,280 Maybe you don't know this story. 841 00:47:23,280 --> 00:47:24,280 It's at the end of John. 842 00:47:24,280 --> 00:47:25,280 It's a few little verses. 843 00:47:25,280 --> 00:47:26,840 Jesus tells Peter, here's the death. 844 00:47:26,840 --> 00:47:28,240 You're going to die for me. 845 00:47:28,240 --> 00:47:33,160 After he's restored him, Peter's forsaken Jesus. 846 00:47:33,160 --> 00:47:34,160 He's abandoned. 847 00:47:34,160 --> 00:47:35,160 He's rejected Jesus. 848 00:47:35,160 --> 00:47:36,160 What does Jesus do? 849 00:47:36,160 --> 00:47:38,600 He pursues the one or he comes back to Peter. 850 00:47:38,600 --> 00:47:39,920 And then we read this little story. 851 00:47:39,920 --> 00:47:42,480 After he tells him, here's how you're going to die, Peter. 852 00:47:42,480 --> 00:47:45,800 You're going to die for me. 853 00:47:45,800 --> 00:47:46,800 Follow me, Peter. 854 00:47:46,800 --> 00:47:50,600 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had 855 00:47:50,600 --> 00:47:55,680 leaned back against him during the supper and said, Lord, the one who had said during 856 00:47:55,680 --> 00:47:57,440 the supper, who is it that's going to betray you? 857 00:47:57,440 --> 00:48:01,520 Verse 21, when Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, Lord, what about this man? 858 00:48:01,520 --> 00:48:07,560 Verse 22, Jesus said to him, if it is my will that he remain until I come, what is it to 859 00:48:07,560 --> 00:48:08,560 you? 860 00:48:08,560 --> 00:48:11,240 You follow me. 861 00:48:11,240 --> 00:48:15,600 Don't get your eyes on other people. 862 00:48:15,600 --> 00:48:19,840 Yeah, we do look outward in love and we should, but always doing what? 863 00:48:19,840 --> 00:48:21,360 Inward. 864 00:48:21,360 --> 00:48:22,920 Eyes on Jesus. 865 00:48:22,920 --> 00:48:25,160 You follow me. 866 00:48:25,160 --> 00:48:28,920 Comparison gets our eyes in the wrong place and we often overlook what's right in front 867 00:48:28,920 --> 00:48:29,920 of us. 868 00:48:29,920 --> 00:48:34,960 Paul's getting our eyes on ourselves for a moment, calling us to humble self-examination 869 00:48:34,960 --> 00:48:38,760 of our motives, our thoughts, our actions, our words. 870 00:48:38,760 --> 00:48:42,920 What I really think Paul is doing as we think about these five verses is something we saw 871 00:48:42,920 --> 00:48:43,920 last week too. 872 00:48:43,920 --> 00:48:50,760 Paul is showing us that living by the Spirit is really a life that looks just like Jesus. 873 00:48:50,760 --> 00:48:55,560 We think about the evidence I gave to you, the outworking of the Spirit. 874 00:48:55,560 --> 00:48:57,400 Isn't this what Jesus actually did? 875 00:48:57,400 --> 00:49:01,560 He Himself empowered by the Spirit. 876 00:49:01,560 --> 00:49:06,320 The King didn't stay in His castle in Heaven's throne room in isolation, did He? 877 00:49:06,320 --> 00:49:09,440 He didn't distance Himself from His creation. 878 00:49:09,440 --> 00:49:10,760 What did the King do? 879 00:49:10,760 --> 00:49:11,760 He condescended. 880 00:49:11,760 --> 00:49:13,800 We're about to celebrate Christmas. 881 00:49:13,800 --> 00:49:18,400 We're about to celebrate the very fact that Jesus Himself pursues those who are rebels, 882 00:49:18,400 --> 00:49:20,440 those who are wanderers. 883 00:49:20,440 --> 00:49:25,660 In love and humility, He directed Himself outward, clothing Himself in flesh to rescue 884 00:49:25,660 --> 00:49:27,800 a sinful people. 885 00:49:27,800 --> 00:49:32,440 And He pursued the wanderer constantly, not just Peter, but I think about the time Jesus 886 00:49:32,440 --> 00:49:37,000 finds the woman at the well who wasn't even looking for Jesus. 887 00:49:37,000 --> 00:49:41,040 Jesus goes out of His way to find that rebel and that wanderer, doesn't He, and restore 888 00:49:41,040 --> 00:49:43,060 her. 889 00:49:43,060 --> 00:49:47,440 Jesus always, eyes open for those that were wandering, He is the one that repairs the 890 00:49:47,440 --> 00:49:53,560 wonders and He is the one that has borne the burden, hasn't He? 891 00:49:53,560 --> 00:49:56,020 What burden? 892 00:49:56,020 --> 00:50:03,200 The unlikely candidate to be the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, has condemned a criminal, 893 00:50:03,200 --> 00:50:05,080 though He is an innocent man. 894 00:50:05,080 --> 00:50:10,720 And He walks out of the gates of Jerusalem and heads towards the place of the skull called 895 00:50:10,720 --> 00:50:14,280 Golgotha. 896 00:50:14,280 --> 00:50:20,440 And that man who, if we were to look at him, would be of no significant stature physically, 897 00:50:20,440 --> 00:50:26,400 he had no beauty or majesty that we should look upon him, the prophet Isaiah says. 898 00:50:26,400 --> 00:50:34,840 And His weak, frail body carries the burdens of His people up onto a mountain. 899 00:50:34,840 --> 00:50:41,560 As He carries a Roman cross, and then He's hung there in mockery and shame as He's spat 900 00:50:41,560 --> 00:50:50,680 upon, as He's cursed at, as He's beaten, as nails crush His hands and His feet, taking 901 00:50:50,680 --> 00:50:57,360 upon Himself the greatest burden that we all have, and that is the burden of the law, the 902 00:50:57,360 --> 00:51:00,080 burden of sin, the burden of our guilt. 903 00:51:00,080 --> 00:51:02,040 He who knew no sin did what? 904 00:51:02,040 --> 00:51:03,600 He did the unthinkable. 905 00:51:03,600 --> 00:51:05,760 God Himself became sin. 906 00:51:05,760 --> 00:51:08,760 He bore the burden of our condemnation. 907 00:51:08,760 --> 00:51:11,760 How do I know, because He was laid in a tomb. 908 00:51:11,760 --> 00:51:15,240 And the third day something amazing happened. 909 00:51:15,240 --> 00:51:21,000 God breathed life back into His Son, and the Son of God rose up in power and in victory, 910 00:51:21,000 --> 00:51:26,280 crushing the head of the serpent so that everyone who looks upon Him is free indeed. 911 00:51:26,280 --> 00:51:28,080 He bore our burden. 912 00:51:28,080 --> 00:51:35,300 And Jesus would often get away by Himself after He had ministered a long day to do what? 913 00:51:35,300 --> 00:51:42,120 To plead to His Father in His humility and in His human nature. 914 00:51:42,120 --> 00:51:47,840 Jesus would say, not my will, but your will be done. 915 00:51:47,840 --> 00:51:52,680 Jesus is the perfect example of what it looks like to live by the Spirit. 916 00:51:52,680 --> 00:51:54,160 The band would come up. 917 00:51:54,160 --> 00:51:58,280 Church, this is a passage that's an invitation to model Jesus. 918 00:51:58,280 --> 00:51:59,960 Let me say this. 919 00:51:59,960 --> 00:52:05,240 Maybe you came in here today and you didn't know there was even a burden on you. 920 00:52:05,240 --> 00:52:08,160 If you're not in Christ, the bad news is there is a burden. 921 00:52:08,160 --> 00:52:10,440 We sin against the Holy God. 922 00:52:10,440 --> 00:52:14,140 He will hold us accountable for those sins. 923 00:52:14,140 --> 00:52:16,860 But that burden can be transferred. 924 00:52:16,860 --> 00:52:21,200 The good news is you can walk in here with a great burden of sin and guilt on you, and 925 00:52:21,200 --> 00:52:28,640 you can leave relieved because that can be placed upon Jesus by faith today. 926 00:52:28,640 --> 00:52:30,200 You can be made new. 927 00:52:30,200 --> 00:52:31,480 You can be a new creation. 928 00:52:31,480 --> 00:52:35,240 This is we celebrated Clayton's baptism. 929 00:52:35,240 --> 00:52:39,960 That can happen to you inwardly today by faith in Jesus. 930 00:52:39,960 --> 00:52:41,720 And if you have, here's the call. 931 00:52:41,720 --> 00:52:42,720 Live by the Spirit. 932 00:52:42,720 --> 00:52:43,720 Look outward. 933 00:52:43,720 --> 00:52:46,260 Look outward in love and inward in humility. 934 00:52:46,260 --> 00:52:51,280 Look like Jesus, the same Spirit that empowered Jesus to live a life of obedience, the same 935 00:52:51,280 --> 00:52:52,920 Spirit that rose Him from the grave. 936 00:52:52,920 --> 00:52:58,400 Do you know it's the same Spirit that lives inside of every believer? 937 00:52:58,400 --> 00:52:59,400 So let me ask you two questions. 938 00:52:59,400 --> 00:53:01,760 Number one, are you living outward in love? 939 00:53:01,760 --> 00:53:05,040 Are you seeking those who are wounded? 940 00:53:05,040 --> 00:53:07,680 Are you bearing the burdens of others? 941 00:53:07,680 --> 00:53:12,140 And number two, I think it's appropriate before we approach the Lord's table, are you examining 942 00:53:12,140 --> 00:53:14,400 your own heart, your own motives? 943 00:53:14,400 --> 00:53:19,680 You're understanding that there is a load that you will have to bear too. 944 00:53:19,680 --> 00:53:22,680 What are you doing with what God has given you? 945 00:53:22,680 --> 00:53:23,680 Let's pray. 946 00:53:23,680 --> 00:53:27,880 Father, we come to you first in a prayer of repentance, acknowledging that we failed to 947 00:53:27,880 --> 00:53:32,880 live in step with the Spirit, but know that you are a merciful and gracious God who forgives 948 00:53:32,880 --> 00:53:33,880 us. 949 00:53:33,880 --> 00:53:35,360 So we throw that on you. 950 00:53:35,360 --> 00:53:37,680 May the Gospel fuel us to look outwardly. 951 00:53:37,680 --> 00:53:42,240 Lord, and we pray that we will not squander the gift of the Spirit or the time, talent, 952 00:53:42,240 --> 00:53:47,880 and treasures you've given us, but we will do something for the kingdom that lasts because 953 00:53:47,880 --> 00:53:52,680 of your Holy Spirit and your work in us. 954 00:53:52,680 --> 00:53:55,880 So Lord, before we approach the table, we ask that you would examine our hearts, you 955 00:53:55,880 --> 00:54:00,640 reveal sin and inconsistencies so we would live in step with the Spirit. 956 00:54:00,640 --> 00:54:01,640 We love you in Christ's name. 957 00:54:01,640 --> 00:54:25,960 Amen.