“Some More Principles that Will Change Your Life”
March 21, 2009
“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. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If any of you think you are something when you are nothing, you deceive yourselves. Each of you should test your own actions. Then you can take pride in yourself, without comparing yourself to somebody else, for each of you should carry your own load. Nevertheless, those who receive instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. People reap what they sow. Those who sow to please their sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; those who sow 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.”
Galatians 6:1-10
Last week I shared “Four Principles that will Change Your Life”. I just picked out the four most obvious ones – the ones that impacted my life the most. But as I read and reread these ten verses in Galatians six, I began to see some more stuff. There are at least a half dozen more spiritual principles here. This morning I thought I would share some other spiritual nuggets I dug out of these passage.
By the way, that’s the way it happens, you know. When you first read the Scripture, you may get only a general revealing of truth or only see it in a historical perspective. But as you reread it and meditate on the Scriptures – it begins to unfold like a beautiful flower. The bible is the Beautiful flower of truth – and it reveals itself only to the most dedicated. It reveals itself only to those most sincere in their seeking.
The Scripture begins with the admonition to help each other by lovingly and gently correcting each other when we are overtaken or caught up in a fault – or sin. We covered that last week, but let me just add a thought. Have you ever tried to correct someone who didn’t WANT correcting? You can’t do it – can you? Do you remember a time someone was correcting you and you didn’t like it; you didn’t want it; you were NOT going to be corrected –thank you very much!
The little note to the First principle we covered last week, “Gently Correct those in Error” is “don’t correct someone who refuses correcting”. Jesus said,
“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.” Matthew 7:6
“Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.” Prov. 23:9
Galatians 6:1 instructs us to correct our spiritual “brothers and sisters”. In other words, those we are ‘one’ with and those willing to be corrected. We are to correct only those seeking truth; those with a heart for what is right. You are just wasting your time with anyone who foolishly refuses to be corrected.
Here’s another thought. The second principle last week was “Carry each other’s burdens”. It was followed by this statement. “in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” I just want to point out that Paul and Peter and the writers of the New Testament were not legalistically following the Levitical law in the Old Testament. They were eating unkosher meat, not worshipping on Saturday but on Sunday, instead. They weren’t celebrating some of the Jewish holidays like they should. They weren’t washing their hands like the Levitical law said they should. Why? Were they rebellious? Not at all. They were under another law. It was the law of love. The Bible says,
“Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Romans 13:10
Aren’t you glad that we are NOT under the old law – but the law of love? We can be in error; we can be in need of correcting, and still be perfect of heart – if that heart is a heart of love. If we love Jesus and are striving to please Him and walk in obedience – we are justified. Don’t think the ‘Law of Love’ is a license to sin. Love is much more demanding than Legalism. The law doesn’t say I have to open the door for someone or bring my wife a cup of tea in the evening. But the law of love demands it. If you truly love Jesus, you will want to do everything that pleases Him and shun everything that displeases Him. The “Law of Love” will change your life. It will make you sweeter, kinder, more gentle, nicer, and just more loving. It will be pretty pleasant to hang around you when you are following the ‘law of love’.
The third principle this morning is “Pride goes before a fall”. The Scripture says,
“If any of you think you are something when you are nothing, you deceive yourselves.”
In another place the Bible says,
“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Proverbs 16:17
About the time we think we are really something; we know the bible better than anyone else, we love Jesus more; we are holier that most of the people who goes to church; we know God’s will better than anyone else – BAM! We fall flat on our faces. We need to always be aware that we are saved by grace – and at our very best – we need grace and mercy and forgiveness. When you humble yourself – you will be lifted up. But when you swell up in pride – someone will burst your bubble. Solomon said,
“Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” Proverbs 26:12 NIV
After warning us about pride – the Bible turns around and says,
4. Take pride in your self.
“…you can take pride in yourself”. (Galatians 6:4)
God doesn’t want us going around with inferiority complexes and low self esteem. We ought to take pride in who we are. We are children of the King. We are just a little lower than the angels – and some day we will surpass them.
Some old saints so afraid of being prideful would say things like “I’m just a worm. I’m nothing. I’m not worthy!” Do you like to hear your loved ones talking like that? I don’t think God does either. He wants us to take pride in ourselves. How do we do that? The Scripture tells us. Here’s another principle. 5. Test yourself. The Bible says,
“Each of you should test your own actions.” In another place it says,
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?
2 Corinthians 13:4-6
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
1 John 4:1
Do you understand that we can’t depend on our intellect or our own wisdom or even what others tell us? We are human and subject to error. That’s why we need the Bible. Every sermon I preach – you ought to compare it with the bible to see if I am telling you right. I may not purposely mislead you – but I may make a mistake. That’s true of every preacher and every church. TEST! TEST! TEST!
How do you do that? You compare everything to God’s Word. The bible is the only dependable source of truth there is. Science is so full of error and faults and mistakes. Different religious sources are down right lies and willful deception. The only truth is God’s Word. Test everything with it.
Here’s another biblical instruction. You may not like this sixth one. The Bible says,
“for each one should carry his own load.” Galatians 6:5
6. Carry Your OWN load.
That principle is not very popular right now. The government wants to take care of us. We have a hundred ways and programs so we don’t have to carry our own load. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am for all those programs, like SSI and Welfare and retirement benefits - if they are for people who really need them. But that isn’t the case. Most people (in the flesh) want something for nothing. They want someone else to support them. Back when I was a kid, (okay –back in the olden days!) People took pride on taking care of themselves. They may have had to eat beans and bread or venison and potatoes – but they didn’t want ‘charity’. They didn’t want something for nothing. They wanted to earn their keep.
Somehow the instruction to carry our own load has gotten lost. But the bible is very clear about this principle. Listen to this:
“If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
1 Timothy 5:8
We have a command to not only carry our own weight, but we are to bear other’s burdens as well. The Bible says,
“For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." (2 Thessalonians 3:10) (New International Version)
Someone may think, “That’s not very nice! I thought we were suppose to love one another!” Well, that is an unpopular form of love. It’s called ‘tough love’. Sometimes the unkindest thing is to just give someone some money to get them out of your hair. That’s self-love. We enable people’s irresponsibility sometimes. Some times love needs to be tough.
Now, I really like this next instruction. It says, “those who receive instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.”
Number seven is “Share with your instructor”. You know what that means, don’t you? That means when I teach you these wonderful principles and God begins to open the windows of heaven and pour out His blessings on you – you have to SHARE with me! Isn’t that cool?
I think the purpose is to instill a sense of gratitude and appreciation in us. God wants us to be generous and thoughtful and sensitive to others. It’s just another way of loving. I think the key word is ‘share’. God wants us to share – and if we learn something from someone, God wants us to share our blessings with them.
One more spiritual thought in this Scripture. Number 7. It says,
“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Well, a couple of thoughts. First, God wants you to be good. He wants you to DO good. He wants you to do good without prejudice. He wants you to love EVERYBODY – and express it by doing good to them. But the second thought is the priority of goodness. God wants us to do good to everyone – but who is our first priority? It’s the family of believers. It is our spiritual brothers and sisters that we need to especially focus our goodness on. Do good to everyone – but especially be good to your brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Is God’s Word wonderful? I love the Bible. It is direction. It is wisdom. It is truth. The Bible has the answer to all our questions in life. We may have to dig for them. We may have to really seek – before we find. We may have to pound on the door of knowledge before it will open to us. But let’s be men and women of the Word. Read your Bible. Study the Scripture. Most importantly BELIEVE IT! As you do, life will be richer and fuller and more blessed than you believed possible.
“Seek Ye First”
