Back To School-Some Principles For Living Series

(Based on a sermon preached at First Baptist Church, Chamois, MO, on 8-27-2023. This is not an exact transcription.)

Introduction: This is the last Sunday in August and I’ll be finishing this “back to school” theme with today’s message. Our text today comes from Paul’s letter to the Galatians, chapter 6, and Paul gives them—and us—some very practical principles for living our Christian lives. Beginning with chapter 6, verse one, here’s out text:

Text: Galatians 6:1-10, NASV: 1 Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks that he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting, but to himself alone, and not to another. 5 For each one will bear his own load.

6 The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary. 10 So then, while we have opportunity, let’s do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

Principle 1-Restoring a Brother/Sister

Some of us may not know much about the Galatian people themselves so allow me a moment to explain some info about them. According to Dr, J. Vernon McGee’s materials on the “Thru the Bible” website, these Galatians were migrants from Gaul and settled in the middle section of Asia Minor, which later became Turkey. Galatia was the name of a province, like Pontus, Cappadocia, and others mentioned in various New Testament books.

Thoroughly pagan, these Galatians had heard the message of salvation in Jesus when Paul and others preached the Gospel. Many believed and were faithful in serving the Lord.

That is, until some quote-quote “missionaries” came from Jerusalem and promptly tried to undo everything Paul had done—through the power of the Holy Spirit, it goes without saying. Paul’s message was “Christ died for our sins, and anyone who believes this message will be saved” and will go to Heaven when they die. Sounds simple, right? It is, and it was intended to be simple. Too many have tried, sometimes with success, to make salvation a complicated process instead of the tried and true Plan of Salvation.

What happened is that these so-called “missionaries” had begun to teach these Gentile believers that it wasn’t enough to be saved by faith alone. These people had also taught that these Gentiles had to be circumcised and follow the Law of Moses just like the Jews themselves. It didn’t matter that nobody did, or ever could, keep the Law but for them, these Gentiles were ripe for Judaism 2.0 in their eyes.

And their efforts were successful, so much so that (in my opinion) this led Paul and Barnabas to go back to Jerusalem and take part in the first Church council (Acts 15). I wonder just how hot the debates were in whether or not the Gentiles had to conform to the Jewish system before they could be saved. Fortunately for them and for us, the Apostles gave some guidelines that work just as well now as then.

Now, the pull or appeal or whatever it was about Judaism that drew these Gentiles into “Judaism light” may not have been the only “wrongdoing” going on. It’s great when people come to faith in Christ when they’re young, giving them most of their lives to live for Jesus and the Holy Spirit’s influence to—we hope—keep them from falling into sin, ungodly lifestyles, and that kind of thing. It’s also great when people come to believe in Jesus at any age, but the problem is that the later in life this happens, sometimes there’s a lot of baggage or old stuff that the new believer has to deal with. Of course the Lord can provide deliverance but for some it just isn’t easy to do.

Examples, you ask? Let’s suppose some of these pagan-background believers had been more or less addicted to alcoholic beverages (wine, strong drink, and maybe other stuff). Could they stop, “cold turkey”, as we sometimes say? Some, maybe, could but others seemed to maintain or never get over that problem—just look at what was happening at Corinth during the so-called “Lord’s Supper”. Chapter 11 of 1 Corinthians gives a graphic account of what was going on then.