Text: Galatians 6:1-10
Title: Christmas Gifts – The right to do good to all.
Introduction
The Apostle Paul closes out the book of Galatians by telling the church to do good to all and I thought it would be appropriate for us to close out the year with the same message.
“Brothers, if anyone 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 fulfill 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 someone 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.”
10 reasons why we should do good to all…
1.Doing good to all shows you are ___Spiritual__ (v1)
2.Doing good to all fulfills the law of __Christ_____(v2)
3.Doing good to all helps prevent us from becoming __deceived_ (v3)
4.Doing good to all allows us to put our faith into ___Action__ (v4)
5.Doing good to all allows us to take ___Pride_ in ourselves (v4)
6.A man reaps what he ____Sows________. (v7)
7.Doing good to all pleases the _____Spirit_______(v8)
8.Doing good to all will defeat the ____Sinful Nature_ (v8)
9.Doing good to all allows us to make the most out of every ____Opportunity_ (v10)
10.Doing good to all may help someone become a __believer_ (v10)
Paul mentions three ways we can do good for all
1. Restore those who are caught in a sin (v1)
“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.”
2. Carry each other’s burden (v2-5)
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ…for each one should carry his own load.”
3. Share the good (v6)
“Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.”
Why does Paul mention these specific 3 ways to do good and not 3 others?
a.Perhaps these three scenario’s were very real in the church
·Perhaps there were those in the church who were caught in a sin
·Perhaps there were those in the church carrying too heavy a load
·Perhaps there were those in the church who were instructors in the Word who felt they were not being appreciated.
1.What’s always a good thing to do for a fellow believer caught in a sin? (v1)
“Brothers, if anyone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
What’s a bad thing to do for a fellow believer who is caught in a sin? To do nothing!
I see 2 problems here if I do nothing when I see a fellow believer caught in a sin…
1.The first problem I see with doing nothing is that I’m not been very spiritual.
The spiritual person is going to do something when he or she sees another believer caught in sin.
I used to believe that the spiritual thing to do was to say or do nothing. But to do nothing is the complete opposite to what the scripture is saying here. The spiritual thing to do is to do something.
2. The second problem with doing nothing is that I’m now more likely to fall into the same temptation
…But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted
·If it is ok for someone else to do something that is a sin it may eventually become ok for me to do the same thing
“Brothers, if anyone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.”
Underline the word “gently”
The word “gently” is the middle ground between two extremes
1.One extreme is getting angry with a fellow believer without reason
When what the fellow believer is doing is not a sin
Pharisees often accused Jesus of doing things that were sinful.
2.The other extreme is not getting angry at all.
We should be angry at what Sin does to a fellow believer who is caught in sin
What then is the middle ground?
The middle ground is to get angry at the right time, in the right measure and for the right reason.
Illustration: Mark 3:1-6
“Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, stand up in front of everyone. Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill? But they remained silent. He looked around them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
Jesus and the Pharisees were both angry! But Jesus used his anger in order to heal and restore. The Pharisees used their anger in order to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
Notice too that the major emphasis in Galatians 6:1 is not on punishing the fellow believer caught in sin. The major emphasis is instead on restoring the fellow believer caught in sin.
·To restore = to mend a broken bone
The ministry of the believer is about mending bones and never about breaking bones.
Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy…
Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God.
Are you a person who wants to be used by God to help restore those who are caught in sin?
Start not by watching others but by watching yourself. I can’t take the speck out of your eye if I have a beam in my own eye.
2.What is always a good thing to do for someone who is carrying to heavy a burden? (v2-5)
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill 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 someone else, for each one should carry his own load.
The answer is that we are to help them carry it.
In Luke 10
“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead…
(That man had a burden. He was beaten, he was robbed and he was half dead….)
A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him,passed by on the other side.
(The Priest and the Levite were both deceived. They thought they were some bodies when they were really nobodies.)
But a Samaritan as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.”
The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. Look after him, he said, and when I return I will reimburse you for any extra expenses you may have.”
The Samaritan fulfills the Law of Christ.
Am I always to be doing something for others?
In Galatians 6. We are told to carry each others burdens in verse 2 but in verse 5 we are told “for each one should carry his own load.”
Some things in life are meant to be shared while some other things in life are meant to be shouldered.
There are things in life only I can do and there are things in life I can only do with the help of others.
We are not to be enabling others. We enable others when we do for others what they need to do for themselves.
THE KEY WORD IS BALANCE
3.Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.” (v6)
SHARE THE GOOD
God uses the instructor in the word to bless people
The instructor in the word shares the good things in the word to bless people
God uses those instructed in the word to bless the instructor
God wants to use me to bless you!
God wants to use you to bless me!
God wants to use me to share good things to bless you.
God wants to use you to share good things to bless me.
What are some good things to share?
Pray for those who instruct you in God’s Word
Help carry the burden (if you see something that needs
done help do it.)
Share a testimony
Say some thing encouraging
Share a scripture.
Conclusion (v7-10)
1.We reap what we sow - therefore do good to all
2.We reap more than we sow- therefore do your best when you do good to all
3.We reap after we sow - therefore do not become weary or give up doing good to all
