Watch Yourself!
Travels with Paul • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 12 viewsSimply living by the Spirit is not enough for a Chrisitan to make it. We must go a step further and use the giftst hat God has given us for His purposes, including helping those who are in spiritual trouble as well. We are obliged to help in any way we can.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning and welcome back!
We have been on quite a journey the last several weeks with Paul as we have been working through the Letter to the Galatians.
And this morning we are going to wrap up this letter and it is fitting how Paul wraps the letter up.
He actually comes full circle and ends his letter with the same points he started with.
That being, not being deceived by the world and by the false prophets and false teachers that are out in the world.
Not being led astray by others or our own flesh.
Starting in verse 11, Paul says this . . .
See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand! Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.
In other words, they just want to fit into the world and the way the world does everything.
They don’t care about you as a person, they just want the path of least resistance for themselves.
And they know that if they can control you, then their own conscious for their own sin will be relieved and thus their sin justified.
And Paul says don’t fall for it.
He continues . . .
Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh.
They can’t even practice what they preach.
They want to be able to tell people “look how many I’v e converted”
It’s a numbers game to see who can get the most on “their side.”
But they are hypocrites themselves. They can’t even do the things they are telling you to do.
And He continues . . .
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.
And we will see Paul make this point many many times in his letters.
Works do not matter—what counts is whether or not we have been made a new creation in Christ.
Whether or not our heart has been changed.
That is what counts.
And then his final closing remarks . . .
Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God. Finally, let no-one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.
So, that is how the letter ends, but before Paul gets to that ending, there is one more point he wants to make.
And that point is about our responsibility to others.
Our responsibility to help others along their journey with Christ.
Remember last week we talked about walking in the Spirit and living by the Spirit.
Letting the Spirit be in the driver’s seat of our lives.
And many people with think that if they do that if the “get sanctified” as we like to say it, then that is it.
We’ve got it made and there is nothing else left for us to do.
But that my friends is only the beginning.
Being “sanctified” means to be “set apart for God’s use.”
But we have a bad habit of thinking it just means “to be set apart,” and we leave out and forget the “for God’s use” part.
And to be used by God means that there is some sort of action that has to take place.
Something has to happen.
Somebody’s got to do something.
And that somebody is us.
And that something is doing God’s will in all things.
Being submissive to the Holy Spirit.
Listening AND RESPONDING when the Holy Spirit calls us.
Basically doing what God says.
We are called to be a people of action.
And one of the things we are called to do is to help others who are in need.
Both physically AND Spiritually.
Which is exactly the point Paul is going to make here.
So, in Galatians 6, starting in verse 1, Paul writes this . . .
Scripture Focus
Scripture Focus
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load. Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Watch Yourself (vs 1-6)
Watch Yourself (vs 1-6)
So, we see right off here Paul starting with our responsibility to helping others who are caught up in sin.
Again, he writes . . .
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
Two very distinct and important things that Paul points out here.
First, Brothers {and sisters} if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.
And this is abused by the Church every single day.
The church—the Holiness committee loves to find people who are “caught in a sin” or “caught up in sin.”
And you know that is a good way to put sin.
Being “caught in sin” means that we are captured, trapped, and cannot get out of it.
We are at the mercy of sin.
And that is how it feels sometimes.
And that is also where the Church is supposed to step in and help.
Those as Paul puts it who are spiritual, which is another important point.
The problem is we have a lot of people running around out here who think they are “spiritual” and they are imposing their will and their way on other people.
They are interjecting their opinion on how that person should be living or what it takes to restore that person, but they are spiritual, in the biblical sense themselves and have no business telling anyone else what to do.
The word “spiritual” here is talking about being given over to the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the driving force in your life.
The Holy Spirit is the one who leads, guides, and directs you.
Your actions are under the control of the Holy Spirit.
However, the Holiness committee and others, are not under the Holy Spirit’s control.
They are under their own control of their own fleshly desires.
And they are simply just trying to control people.
Which is why their version of restoring someone is often ugly and hateful.
And that is what turns people off to the Church in general.
That type of horrible attitude.
But Paul says that those who are actually Spiritual should be the ones restoring.
Because they are the ones listening and responding to what the Holy Spirit is telling them to do to help the person.
Which means the restoration is “gentle.”
And don’t confuse Gentle for Easy here.
Nothing about it is easy, but it is done with gentleness and love, which makes all the difference in the world.
A person will go further with you and put out much more effort if they know you actually care about them.
And also, because I can hear people saying this now, “I’m not spiritual enough so I shouldn’t try.”
That is a cop out and an excuse.
If you are not spiritual enough, then get more spiritual.
Let the Holy Spirit take control, because laziness is not an excuse for not doing what God has called you to do.
Put in the hard work and get to it.
So, get Spiritual and start restoring people with a spirit of humility and love.
Start walking beside people and helping them instead of spending time judging them.
There is a second part of that verse also though.
Paul warns us and tells us to watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
And that also is important.
We have a very bad habit of trying to get involved in Spiritual warfare and spiritual matters without our weapons of war.
We go into a battle and don’t take the Holy Spirit with us.
And what happens is we let our guard down and quite frankly end up in a mess.
We start out with good intentions but end up in the same sin we left.
A good example would be an alcoholic who has just quit drinking going into the bar to try and help others.
The intentions are good, but their resolve is still weak.
Or a drug addict trying to go back into a crack house to minister to others.
I’m not saying it’s not possible to do those things, but we have got to first wait on the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to endure the temptation.
But that does not relieve us of our obligations, it just means we have to be smart about how we go about doing things.
He goes on . . .
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.
Loving God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and loving our neighbor as ourselves involves carrying the burdens of each other.
Helping each other.
Lifting each other up.
That is our responsibility as Christians.
That is what we are called to do.
Who we are called to be.
But, as Paul has made the point many times, we have got to be aware of our motivation for doing what we do as well.
In verse 3, he states . . .
If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.
And what Paul is talking about here is our habit of comparing ourselves to each other.
Seeing how everybody else measures up to how spiritual we are.
And as long as we are doing better than the person next to us, then we are good.
We forget that we are to compare ourselves to God’s commands and not what other people are doing.
Other people are not our judge, God is.
Reaping and Sowing (vs 7-10)
Reaping and Sowing (vs 7-10)
And then Paul hits more on our own personal responsibility to God.
He states starting in verse 7 . . .
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
And we have so many people running around out here trying to mock and deceive God.
We think that we know every loophole and that we are so much smarter than God and that we have it all figured out.
We are foolish for thinking this way. God cannot be mocked.
And we will reap what we sow.
And so many people do not realize that.
They think that there are no consequences in life to their actions.
But Paul is very clear, we will reap what we sow.
He goes on . . .
The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
And because of this seemingly “I don’t care” attitude, many will become frustrated and many will give up.
But Paul tells us . . .
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Altar/Challenge
Altar/Challenge
Which brings us to the end of this sermon and to the end of Galatians.
And this morning, I ask, how has God spoken to you?
What has God said?
Are you listening and are you willing to respond?
Are you doing what God has called you to do?
Only you and God know.
Let’s pray . . .