Fulfilling the law
Notes
Transcript
Love your neighbour
Love your neighbour
In our home group last this week, we were looking at last weeks passage, the end of Chapter 5 in Galatians - were we are called to ‘live by the Spirit’ and how that means that for the Christian,
Who trusts in Christ alone for salavation that our right responce is to ‘crucifying our flesh’ (our sin) and keep in step with the Spirit - who reveals his desire for us in the Word of God.
The questions we ended with was - how can we help each other to do those 2 things
And we quickly acknowledged that it can be hard to be honest about our sin, for fear of being judged or looked down on by each other, or out of our own embarrassment.
So how do we help each other in our sin, whilst not ignoring sin?
That seems to be the main theme of todays passage.
How are we going to acheive what we are called to do.
1 - Understanding Ourselves so we can love each other.
1 - Understanding Ourselves so we can love each other.
We’re starting with 5v26
Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Conceited means to think to highly of yourself. To be arrogantly proud.
All along Paul has been reminding the Galtionas and us that our salvation does not rely on us and our acts, but on the grace of God through the acts and work of Jesus alone.
It’s his work not ours.
There is no better news in this world than that!
If getting right with God was up to us - then even the best of us would fall a long way short.
No, it is through faith, repentance and belief in Jesus - who took our just judgement before God upon himself that we are saved.
That is were we must all begin.
But once saved, as we saw last week, we were called to do all we can to crucify who we are naturally by flesh and fight to keep in step with the SPirit of God.
By being obedient to His word and seeking His fruit in our character.
So, don’t think so highly of yoursleves. don’t become conceited.
We are nothing, worthy of death and judgement before God - and yet he, if we have faith in Christ alone - has shown us mercy.
So run a little test on yourself to see if you’re conceited.
the most obvious signs of us being conceited - thinking too highly of ourselves is if we always find ourselevs wanting to provoke others, or envy others.
A conceited person thinks they are above others in their church family.
And so we want others to know that - so we provoke, niggle away, moan, undermine, put up stumbling blocks, cause others to sin, create unnecessary divisions to gain our own following - as was happening in Galatia.
We tell our friends -
‘Oh well, I wouldn’t expect much more from them, would you? They’re not a very good Christian - you know how they are...”
We want others to know how superior we are. - We’re conceited.
And, Or,
A concieted person finds themselevs envious of others all the time.
Because our life is about ‘me’ we are envious of those in higher postions in the church - or our lack of position, or when others think well of someone we think badly of.
These are not ways to fulfil the law of God. - They are not ways to love our neighbour.
Because we are not thinking rightly about ourselevs.
But, here is the way to love each other and fulfil the law of God - to be more Christ like.
Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
It’s telling that after Paul has spent most this letter warning the Galatians not to slip away from Jesus - not to sin.
That his application at the end is for the church family to rally around those who have, or are sinning and love them back into right fellowship with God.
Paul does not say, close ranks and order a drone strike on that person.
We are to send in a covert team of patient, gentle and calm experts to remind them what they are risking, warn them, woo them back to Jesus.
Why? Because we’re not conceited -
We understand oursleevs to be no beter than they are before God.
That’s why he says be careful when you restore someone in sin - becasue you can be tempted and fall by the same thing! Understand your weakness before God and the flesh.
If the sin is destructive gossip how easy it would for a friend to get sucked into the same talk,
If it’s lust, how easy it would be for a friend to see how they could join in as well in secrecy.
Restore each other gently and carefully.
Not becasue we are better than someone found in sin - but becasue we are the same. Not superior, do not be conceited.
The next couple of verse say and make a very similar point, but it is interesting how he phrases it
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.
So the principle about not being conceited - - not thinking we are something when we are not still applies.
And if we get that right - then we will view others rightly.
and we’ll be prepared to help them in love - carry their burden - literally their heavy packs.
Not only that but carrying each other’s burdens is the way in which we fulfil the law of Christ.
In other words -
when we compare
14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
with this verse we can conclude that a key way..
2 - To love one another ‘is’ to carry one another’s burdens
2 - To love one another ‘is’ to carry one another’s burdens
Paul is not specific about what burdens might look like here - but we don’t need to use too much imagination do we?
Life is difficult, temptation and sin are realities, trials and hardships are unavoidable.
For many in this world they face them alone - and face the consequences alone - and so face God alone - without Jesus as a mediator and saviour before them.
but for the believer - it ought to be different.
Because Jesus has taken our burden of Sin before God - We ought to carry one another’s ongoign burdens or sin and hardhsip..
Some people seem to do this really easily don’t they.
Always available to get involved in and struggle along side, and carry one another’s burden’s.
But to be fair to those sort of people - I don’t think it is as easy as they make it out to be!
To lie awake at night concerned and mulling over someone else's trials,
to walk alongside someone who is facing a terminal illness, or who has a child who is unwell.
To listen to someone really struggeling in faith
To take some emotional abuse from a friend struggling with mental health.
None of that is easy.
Just some choose to accept that duty more willingly than others.
Some are more prepared to love their neighbour as themsleves.
They do not think too highly of themselves - they see what Jesus has done in their life and so they are able to gently restore, and pick up some of the burden their brother or sister in christ is carrying.
If like me you really struggle to have compassion and carry other peoples burdens.
Then Perhaps we think too highly of myself - and perhaps we need to remeber the horrid sin Jesus has delivered us from first.
and then we can seek to sacrifice ourselevs in love of others - for we like they are lowly and need to help each other.
This is important says Paul - becasue while we are to carry each other’s burdens - there is one load we cannot share with our brothers and sisters.
3 - Our Load before God
3 - Our Load before God
V4-5 are Initially hard to make sense of, (but if we imagine v6 is in brackets - it’s like a secondary thought) and then continue at v7 it makes more sense.
Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load.
now
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
Another motivation for carrying one another’s burdens is to know that by our actions, by our fruit, by our ‘burden carrying’ of others - we will be judged before God in terms of reward.
We cannot mock God - or tell him - well I was better than such and such,
No - we should test our own actions, take pride in ourselevs alone - meaning judge ourselevs rightly when compared to God - not others.
That is to carry our own load (a different word to burden) before God.
Who will not be mocked.
Think of it this way, our motivation to love others in carrying their burdens is based on how closely we resemble and seek to model how Jesus treats us.
NOT - based on how we think we stack up against each other!
And God sees our hearts and actions
In the light of Jesus - we can be nothing but humble and thankful.
We cannot anymore carry a sense of superiority or inferiority towards each other,
as before God, we judge ourselevs as lowly.
And so, He, in the Lord Jesus, as directed by the HS becomes our motivation once again to bare the burdens of our fellow forgiven brothers and sisters.
Envy, pride, provoking, has gone,
love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control
have arrived!
And when we stand before God - justified in Jesus alone,
we are assessed as faithful servants who have strived to keep in step with the fruits and obedience of the Spirit.
Not as back-biting, self-elevating free loaders upon the grace of Jesus.
We have our own load to carry before God - and as we keep that in mind - we are motivated again to turn to the Lord Jesus - repent of our sin, and strive all the more to love our neighbours - rather than think too highly of ourselevs.
So says Paul - if you have faith, and know who we are before God - get on with loving one another..
4 - Sow the right sort of Seed
4 - Sow the right sort of Seed
Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
I gave you a John Stott quote last week, so here’s another one that summarizes the importance of this sowing illustration so well...
This is a vitally important and much neglected principle of holiness. We are not the helpless victims of our nature, temperament and environment. On the contrary, what we become depends largely on how we behave; our character is shaped by our conduct. According to Galatians 5 the Christian’s duty is to ‘walk by the Spirit’, according to Galatians 6 to ‘sow to the Spirit’. Thus the Holy Spirit is likened both to the path along which we walk (Gal. 5) and to the field in which we sow (Gal. 6). How can we expect to reap the fruit of the Spirit if we do not sow in the field of the Spirit? The old adage is true: ‘Sow a thought, reap an act; sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.’ This is good, biblical teaching.
And so says Paul -
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Enogh said.
Now, we’ve skipped over v6, so let’s cover that.
This is one of my all time favourite sermon points
5 - Pay your Bible Teachers
5 - Pay your Bible Teachers
Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.
The one who is taught - the word here is Catechised (meaning given instruction) should share all good things with the one who teaches.
In Galatia - it is most likely that they had Christian teachers who explained God’s word and brought the teaching of the apostles (our modern day NT) to bear on the people of the time.
The simple application today - as it is commanded in various places in the NT - is that we should pay our bible teachers. And you do - thank you.
What’s slightly odd about this is Why does Paul drops it in here amongst ‘carrying your own load before God - by humbling yourselves and carrying each others’ burdens?
No-one is very sure.
Perhaps the thought of being personally responsible for your love towards others before God would mean they might think; the Pastor should do the same and look to God for his payment?
or perhaps Paul was pointing out that had they have paid and cared for their Christian teachers properly - then perhaps they would have had enough time to refute the false teachings of the circumcision party -
And so - the church are failing to carry the burdens of the Pastor’s becasue they have an elevated view of themselves - and an undervalued view of the Pastor.
But for us - it is a reminder that part of loving our church family is to pay and care for our Pastors and church workers properly.
So that 1 - they can be freed from financial worry, or secondary work where possible, so that they can teach the bible faithfully and regularly.
and 2 - it is the way to love them, and so honour God by fulfilling the law.
I’ve said already - we do pay our staff at GC a salary that I think is acceptable,
but that doesn’t mean there isn’t application from this verse for you.
So if you are not giving generously to the church, then you personally are not being faithful to loving your Pastor or your church family - for you are undermining the value of you and your children being taught God’s word.
Perhaps it’s out of a superiority issue - they just couldn’t get a proper job, or I don’t need it them, or it’s an easy job.
That’s all between you and God - but let me encourage you - we give not out of comaparing ourselevs to one another - or according to what we might get found out about -
but based on how we judge the generosity God has given us.
We’re hoping to do church plant and so we will need more money to employ a planter, and we will be loosing some people from this church to join the plant - so financial sacrifices will have to be made.
So - please do share all good things with those who dedicate their time to teaching you God’s Word.
And with those who will proclaim the gospel in new territory.
Now - I don’t want to end telling you you should be paying my salary - so I’ve left the last verse to finishs on
6 - Love your Church family.
6 - Love your Church family.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Therefore.
Based on what he has said so far - that we are to sow seeds in our life that please God the HS - not ourselves.
Let us be good to all people - and especially the family of believers.
We have a special responsibility towards one another to love and bear and carry each other.
Becasue we all understand who we are beore God - and His grace to us in Christ Jesus.
The world falls out with each other and see no need for reconciliation - it doesn’t serve their own agenda.
BUT
It serves us to love our neighbour - becasue we want to be like Jesus
Who in the first Palm Sunday began his sacrificial walk of love to take all our burden of sin upon the cross - not because wee are worthy, but because we are unworthy.
Let us treat each other in the same way.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.