Do Not Become Weary Doing Good

Do not Become Weary Doing Good

Galatians 6:1-10

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

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“You foolish Galatians” is what the church of Galatia has been known for ever since Paul wrote to them. They were foolishness to want to be circumcised and placed back under the law when they were justified through their faith in a risen Savior. While the law describes what is involved in being holy, only those that have their desires and passions of the flesh crucified with Christ are enabled to “walk in the Spirit” and therefore can produce a harvest of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (5:22-23). While it might be tempting for us modern day Christians to perceive the Galatians as “foolish,” is this not a term that applies to us as well? Does not walking in the Spirit and under the Law of Christ mean that one is to take every opportunity to do good unto others? Can we honestly say we are doing others good when we refuse to gently correct but instead mimic their sin? And is it right to ignore the heavy burdens of our brothers and sisters when we have the financial or time resources available to help them? Have we truly become so blind and deaf that we can ignore Paul’s warning: “what you sow you shall reap”? This sermon is going to look at some of the practical ways that today’s church can walk in the Spirit so that we might no longer look “foolish” but faithful in the eyes of our risen Savior!

Doing Good by Gently Correcting Those Who Sin

1Brothers 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.

The first example of how the church is to walk in the Spirit is by gently correcting those who sin. Living in this “ME” generation that no longer believes in absolute truth or sound doctrine (2 Timothy 4:3-4), “self-glorifying flights of fancy” with carnal thoughts and behaviors are bound to happen within the walls of the church. When this happens, Paul says the church is NOT to ignore the sin by “sweeping it under the rug!” When a believer becomes entangled in sin (Hebrews 12:1) it becomes not just the responsibility of those with pastoral and counselling skills but specifically those who walk in the Spirit to gently correct them. Whether the person was “overtaken” by a “sudden overpowering temptation” or is willfully sinning against God, to help such a person become free from such entanglement one must approach him/her with a “spirit of meekness.” The whole church is not to “descent on the guilty fellow member,” lest they become so offended that their reputation has been questioned that they refuse to hear the truth. Only the one whom God calls, whom has a tender heart and has the fruit of gentleness, should attempt to correct the person’s behaviour for their own good!

For the church to build each other up in the faith and become spiritually mature, mutual accountability must be accompanied by some form of personal responsibility. Those who choose to correct another cannot take the attitude of a “self-righteous prosecutor” but must approach a sinning brother or sister with humility, acknowledging their “own equal vulnerability to temptations to sin.” One must be particularly careful to not let the “worldly argument” or the pressure to “appease” the carnal Christian become the grounds of not only justification to continue in their sin but one’s justification to join them! Before meeting with a sinning person one must first examine what Scripture says and what one’s motives are concerning the matter. Those who see “living in submission to the Spirit” as a license to sin or an opportunity to look good at the expense of another should recuse themselves and confess these “planks” of sin before trying to deal with the “speck in their brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5)! While sinlessness is not a prerequisite to helping others, only those with a genuine desire to submit to the Spirit are able to deal with the sin in others.

Doing Good by Carrying the Burdens of Others

The second example of how the church is to walk in the Spirit is by carrying each others’ burdens. While “burdens” metaphorically refer to the intense struggle to overcome personal and moral failures of sin, this term also relates more generally to “worries, temptations, doubts and sorrows” that by chance come to those living in a fallen world (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Even though Scripture promises if we cast our burdens upon the Lord (Psalms 55:22) He will give us rest (Matthew 11:28), this does not put aside our responsibility to invite a fellow Christians to love us (John 13:34) by allowing him/her to bear our “burdens as their own!” Too often out of pride or the desire keep our lives private we refuse the aid of fellow believers. For Paul, the practice of “mutual burden-bearing” fulfills the law of Christ as a person not specifically under the letter but the heart of the Torah which is summed up to love God and one another (John 13:34-35; Matthew 22:37-40). By being a supportive faith based community, one that bears each other’s burdens, we demonstrate not only obedience to but show our love for (Matthew 25:31-46) He is the cornerstone of our church (Ephesians 2:19-22).