All right, thank you very much. Well, we are
blessed with music around here, and thank you,
Joshua, for your leadership this morning. What
was that trickling down your face this morning,
by the way, on both sides? It's a workout, let
me tell you, to do what he did this morning.
Well, thank you for your prayers last weekend.
We had a wonderful trip to Chicago, where I finally
graduated. I wish you, no, no. Thank you. You
have been very kind and effusive in your congratulations,
so you don't need to clap again. But I just wanted
to say that it was wonderful to finally get that
master's degree. Now my wife has, for years,
followed the example of Sarah and called me Lord.
Now she can call me Lord and Master. And she
gave me permission to say that too. Would you
open your Bible with me please to Galatians chapter
6. Best you be worried that somehow the music
went too long this morning. Please note we planned
it this way. We have 20 minutes now to study
God's Word and we're going to do that. We're
going to begin reading in verse 1 of Galatians
chapter 6. Brethren, if any man is caught in
a trespass You who are spiritual restore such
a one in the spirit of gentleness. Each one looking
to yourself lest you too be tempted. Bear one
another's burdens and thus fulfill the law of
Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something
when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But
let each one examine his own work and then he
will have reason for boasting in regard to himself
alone. and not in regard to another, for each
one shall bear his own load." Now, Spirit of
God, would you please bring this text to our
hearts in the next minutes, in such a way that
we will understand what it says, but also beyond
that, will be moved to apply them to our lives.
In Jesus' name, amen. I was talking this last
week to a leader in a Christian ministry who
said that one of the values of their ministry
is that they want to be known for what they're
for, not what they're against. I like that. I
grew up in a church where that wasn't the case.
We were really known for what we were against
more than anything else. But I like the positive
side of that, that this ministry expresses. What
are you for? Some believers think that spiritual
living is measured by what you're against or
by some list of don'ts that you obey. But in
fact, true spiritual living is better measured
by what we do. Spirituality, you see, is not
keeping a list of don'ts or have -tos. Spirituality
is walking in the Holy Spirit. Spirituality is
living in the liberty of love. Spirituality is
enjoying the freedom that comes to us in Jesus
Christ. Walking by the Holy Spirit produces certain
marks of a love -filled life. The last time we
were together, we studied the fruit of the Spirit,
and we said that probably the best understanding
of that text is that love is the fruit of the
Spirit, and that the other eight qualities that
are mentioned there flow out of love. Walking
by the Spirit produces the marks of a love -filled
life. What I'm saying by that is that one who
is truly spiritual will do what Paul says. in
these five verses. In the first place, he will
restore the fallen. The situation that Paul has
in mind here is of someone who has suddenly been
overtaken by what he calls a trespass. The word
trespass means to step out of line or to step
over the line. We talked about the word walk
in the Spirit at the end of chapter 5, verse
25. the last time, and we said that the word
walk there means to walk the line. Paul says
there's the possibility for any of us to step
over the line, to get out of line, and to trespass.
Now I wonder why Paul uses the illustration that
he does in the context of the book of Galatians.
The Galatians were facing this teaching about
legalism, you remember. I think Warren Wearsby
captures it pretty well. When he asks that same
question, why does Paul use this illustration
that is of stepping out of line? He goes on to
say, because nothing reveals the wickedness of
legalism better than the way that legalists treat
those who have sinned. If you have been around
much legalism in your life, you understand exactly
what he is saying. How does one who is walking
in the Spirit respond when someone trespasses?
We'll see how love is manifested in what he says
to do. In the first place he says, the one who
is spiritual will seek to restore. The word restore
here means to surgically put in place, or it
is used in the Gospels for the cleaning of the
fishing nets. the repairing of the fishing nets.
To restore then means that one who is spiritual
will seek to lift up the fallen and to return
him to health, to return him to usefulness and
fruitfulness in the things of God. One who is
spiritual will seek to help the one who has fallen
to come back to the place of walking by the Spirit,
walking in the line of the Spirit. In other words,
the one who is spiritual will not beat up on
the one who has fallen with accusations and heap
on shame. One who is spiritual will not hold
over the one who has fallen reproach and bring
him public censure and guilt, but rather he will
seek to lift up the one who has fallen. And notice
how he is to do this. He is to do it with gentleness.
That's the very same word used back in verse
23 of the fruit of the spirit, which is love.
The one who is spiritual will go to the one who
has fallen and will gently, meekly use his authority,
his power, his gifts to engender convalescence.
in that one who has fallen. And in doing that,
he will also look to himself. Because whenever
you and I go after someone who has fallen into
sin, there is always the possibility that we
will be suddenly ourselves overtaken by sin.
And sometimes even attracted to that sin. So
that we end up falling ourselves. And so whenever
we are about this important business of restoring
the fallen, it is vital that we guard ourselves
lest we be overtaken by temptation. Jesus gives
us a wonderful illustration himself of what it
means to restore the fallen. You remember the
woman who was taken in adultery in John chapter
8? And how the legalists brought her to Jesus
and said, here's what the law demands, she's
to be stoned to death. Jesus stooped down and
began to write in the dirt. He doesn't tell us
what he wrote. I think what Jesus began to write
was the Ten Commandments. And then it says, He
said to them, you who are without sin, you cast
the first stone. And he stooped down and started
writing again. And it says that they began to
slip out from that place, from the oldest to
the youngest to leave. And then Jesus restored
her. He did not condone her sin. Do not misunderstand
what is said there in the text. But Jesus restored
her and forgave her. It seems to me that He gave
us a wonderful example of how we are to gently,
meekly, cautiously, for our own sake, restore
those who have fallen. That's a mark of love.
That is evidence that one is truly filled with
the spirit when there is concern about a brother
or a sister who has been overtaken by sin There's
a second mark that he gives to us here and that
is that one who is spiritual Will bear others
burdens verse 2 The reality is that in a fallen
loveless world like we live in. Burdens are a
universal reality. Everybody has them. It reminds
me of a story I read this week of a young Scotsman
who left home and went to the city and lived
in a flat. And after some months he went back
home and his mother said, well, how was it? How
do you like living in the city? What are your
neighbors like? And he said, well, my neighbors
are fine, but they're a little strange. She said,
well, what do you mean by that? He said, well,
the one on the one side of me continually bangs
his head against the wall. And the lady on the
other side of me moans and weeps all day long.
And his mother said, well, that must be very
difficult for you to deal with. He said, yes,
it is. So I just stay in my flat and play the
bagpipes all day. They're all kinds of burdens.
We're to bear one another's burdens. The word
burden here means an excessive load, something
that's overwhelming. I'll tell you something,
burden -bearing is a great ministry. The fact
is though that you and I cannot bear everyone's
burdens, can we? We cannot bear everyone's burdens.
But that isn't what we're called to do here as
spiritual people. We're called to bear one another's
burdens. One another's burdens. In other words,
we are called to bear the burdens of those with
whom we are in relationship. That shows how important
it is that we be in relationships. And this helps
reflect why we say in our vision statement as
we do that we want to be a church where we grow
deep in our relationships with Christ and with
one another. Occasionally, someone will complain,
no one's bearing my burden with me. And the first
question that must always come to mind is, well,
who are you in relationship with? Have you taken
time? to be with others and to grow deep with
them so they understand and know your burdens.
You can't be expected to bear everyone's burdens,
but we are to bear one another's burdens. That
is the burdens of those with whom we are in relationship.
And how do we do that? Well, the greatest way
is by listening. Just listening. And then caring.
But beyond that it also means to bring what practical
assistance we can to the situation John says
if you see a brother or sister Without food or
without clothing and all you say is God bless
you be warmed or be filled That's not enough
the love of Christ doesn't dwell on you In other
words, we need to do what we can to bring assistance
to those who are burdened Paul says this fulfills
the law of Christ when we do so The law of Christ
is that we should love one another as he has
loved us Paul had experienced this kind of burden
-bearing For example, there is Philemon To whom
he wrote these words. I have come to have much
joy and comfort in your love Because the hearts
of the saints have been refreshed through you,
brother. That word refreshed means to be reinvigorated.
The hearts of the saints have been reinvigorated,
have been renewed to their labor because of you.
And Paul included himself in that group that
Philemon had ministered to. The Philippians had
sent to Paul a messenger whose name was Epaphroditus.
And among other things, Paul says regarding him
when he wrote back to the Philippians, Epaphroditus
is your messenger and minister to my need. Paul
acknowledged that he had a burden. He had need.
He was imprisoned at the time. And here was a
man who came to be a burden bearer with him.
It is because of what we're talking about that
Martin Luther said, Christians must have mighty
shoulders and strong bones. In other words, we
have to be strong in the Spirit so that our lives
can show the fruit of love by our bearing the
burdens of others around us. There's a final
mark of one who is walking in the Spirit in verses
three through five. It's a little bit of a different
twist. He says the one who is walking in the
Spirit will test his own actions. In other words,
love, the fruit of the Spirit, will cause a Spirit
-filled believer to check his own motives and
his own responsibilities and not be comparing
himself with others. Paul says that these Galatians
in verse 26 of chapter 5 were being boastful,
challenging one another and envying one another.
In my reading about the Galatians, I came to
understand really for the first time in the last
few months that the Galatians were descendants
of the Gauls who migrated into this part of Asia
Minor four, five hundred years before Paul lived.
Well, the Gauls are also the descendants of the
Celts, of the Celts, the Irish. If you know anything
about Irish, you know that people who are Irish
tend to compare themselves with others and be
boastful and proud. And I say that because that's
my own heritage. When I think of these words,
I think of a typical Irish pub and the kinds
of braggings and boastful sayings that go on
in the context of those men. Paul is writing
to these people who must have had the same kind
of character qualities, and he says look if you're
walking in the spirit You're not going to be
bragging and boasting over others. You're not
going to be comparing yourself with them and
putting them down You're going to look after
your own responsibilities and test your own actions
You will not scrutinize others either comparing
yourself favorably to them or criticizing them
You will not suppose that you are something when
in fact you're nothing. Paul is saying here that
each one of us has his own assignment from the
Lord, his own journey in the plan of God. And
each one of us is to live humbly and contentedly
with God's sovereignly assigned place and parameters
in our lives. We're not to compare. not to complain,
nor to gloat. Indeed, Paul says to the Romans,
each one of us shall give a count of himself
to God. Every day and every hour that you and
I live, we're walking down a trail, leaving marks
where we have walked. The marks that our lives
leave behind will either indicate that we are
in subjection to the flesh or that we are walking
by the Spirit. Which marks your life? The works
of the flesh or the fruit of the Spirit? You
see, ultimately the choice is yours because we
are the ones who decide either to live in the
energy and out of the lusts and desires of that
flesh that is within us all. Or we're the ones
who decide to yield and surrender to the Lordship
of Christ and to choose to depend upon the Holy
Spirit day by day. And as we make that decision,
then the life of Jesus begins to flow through
us and the fruit of love. With the marks like
He gives us in these five verses will be evident.
God help us to walk that way. God help us to
choose to be men and women who walk by the Spirit.
Let's pray together. Lord, we live in a day that's
very much like the Galatian culture. pagan, boastful,
proud, self -dependent, arrogant. We need to
learn to walk by the Spirit. It is so counter
-cultural, counter who we've been formed to be
in this world. I pray that you will show us,
each one of us, what it means to walk by the
Spirit. And that you would fulfill within each
one of us that path that you called us to walk.
Help us to walk in line with the Spirit. I pray
that that fruit of love will mark us. That we
will leave behind the evidence that we have walked
by the Spirit and we have said no to the flesh.
Would you sing together this prayer with me?
of the living God fall afresh on me. Spirit of
the living God fall afresh on me. Fill me, use
me, Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on
me. Lord, that's what we need is that fresh filling.
of your spirit, that fresh empowering of your
spirit this morning, for this day and this week.
And so answer our prayer in Jesus' name. Amen.
God bless you. Word is missed.