Last week we finished our study in the book of James. James was all about words and works of the faithful Christian. Our walk and our talk express our faith and our relationship with God. Just as faith without works is dead, James 2:26, James makes it clear that claiming to be religious without watching our language is self-deception and worthless religion, James 1:26.
James pulls no punches and puts us in our place pretty quickly. His message: Watch your mouth and get busy doing the will of God. True faith works and talks right for the Master’s glory. Dead faith doesn’t do the word and will of God and worthless religion wags its tongue with bad language. Both are a dishonor to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Both bring reproach on the church Jesus died to build and paid for with His own blood. James tells us to get busy living for Christ and use our lips for prayer and praise. Then James ends where today’s lesson begins, by encouraging us to help round up those that stray from the truth.
Today, as a follow up, I’ve selected Galatians 6:1-10 as a text that shows how Paul and James are in complete agreement regarding good works and faith. This also reinforces our Sumer Service Series and encourages us to keep it going! Our Summer Series may be over, but our service continues till we see Jesus face to face! God wants our good works to go viral! Jesus taught His disciples to pray: May Your kingdom come, may Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Good works come from God and our hands have a golden opportunity to participate in God’s handiwork as we go out and give our time and energy to good works for God’s glory, works of service that celebrate our Savior’s sacrifice and sow seeds that please the Spirit of God. Galatians reveals how this is a spiritual work for spiritual people who are lead by the Spirit of God as we bear spiritual fruit and build up the spiritual kingdom. But it is still all about doing good works.
Galatians 6 teaches us to do good in at least four ways:
1. Do Good by restoring those trapped in trespasses.
2. Do Good by supporting your Christian teacher/preacher.
3. Do Good by sowing to please the Spirit instead of the flesh.
4. Do Good to everyone, especially those who are Christians.
Let’s look at each of these today and remember the promise that we will reap a reward if we do not give up.
1. Do Good by restoring a fellow Christian who is caught in sin’s grip. (1-4)
Here’s where this lesson picks up where James 5 leaves off. Who is this talking to? Is this just the job of the preacher or elders? Who is God telling to do this? You who are spiritual. That raises the question though, doesn’t it, who is spiritual and what does it mean to be spiritual? Are you spiritual?
To understand who is spiritual in this context, we need to go back and look at what Galatians has said about the Spirit, don’t we. We need to read the letter again and listen to what is taught about being spiritual. The first time that word “Spirit” occurs in Galatians is in chapter 3:2. Here is where we learn about receiving the Spirit of God by faith. Look at it in your Bible. (Note the contrast between the Spirit and the law).
1You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 4 Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? 5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?
Now go to verse 13
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
How do you receive the Spirit according to what this says? By faith. This promise of the Spirit is found in the blessing God gave to Abraham that He would bless all nations through him and this blessing would be by faith, like Abraham demonstrated, who God credited with righteousness because He had faith in God.
When we have this faith, we become children of God. Look at how this works at the end of Galatians 3:
21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
23 Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
When, through faith, we are baptized into Christ, we are clothed with Christ, become one in Christ, we belong to Christ, we are Abraham’s seed, and we are heirs according to the promise of God. As we walk in this faith we are spiritual, a new creation in Christ Jesus.
This is described in the rest of Galatians. So, in 4:6-7 we learn about being adopted into God’s family by the Spirit and how the Spirit helps us pray to God as Father, and assures us that we have a divine inheritance as a child of God.
Then in 5:5 and then verses 16-26 we learn about being led by the Spirit and bearing the fruit of the Spirit in contrast with following the flesh.
Being Spiritual then, means being led by the Spirit of God as we walk in faith. It is living in a relationship with God as your Father, having received God’s very Spirit to help you pray and live. In this condition you are qualified to rescue another brother or sister in Christ that may fall back into sin either because they drift away from the faith by moving back toward the law, or because they began following their fleshly desires. We are to do good by restoring those caught in trespasses:
1Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks 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 in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. 5 For each one will bear his own load.
2. We are to do good by supporting those who teach us. 6:6 The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.
This church supports the ministry here by supplying Kendall and I with full time salaries. What a blessing to be able to devote full time to preaching and teaching! The apostles in Acts 6 said that instead of waiting on tables to distribute money for the widows they would give this work to specially selected deacons and devote themselves to the ministry of the word of God and prayer. Nothing is of higher priority in ministry than sharing the Word of God and prayer. The Bible says it is a good work to support this ministry.
3. We are to do good by sowing to please the Spirit instead of sowing to please the flesh. 6: 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
James told us that friendship with the world makes us enemies with God. He describes temptation much like Paul does here.
James 1:
12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “ I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
Sowing to please the Spirit is like James’ persevering under trial. It is giving attention to the things of God and turning away from the fleshly passions and lusts. This is a work of God in us, but we must cooperate by sowing to please the Spirit and saying no to our flesh.
4. We are to do good to everyone especially those who are fellow Christians. 6:10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
This helps us understand that we have a priority for our good deeds. The first people on the list should be those who believe and follow Christ. Jesus taught us that others would know that we are disciples by our love for one another. We get calls here for help all the time. Someone needs their light bill paid for, or rent or some other need. People are even told by government agencies to call churches to ask for help.
Whenever I get a call like this I always ask: Where do you go to church? Invariably, the answer is that they don’t go. They used to go, but are not going now. I always tell them that we take care of our own first, and that this is what the Bible tells us to do.
I tell them that if they were faithful members of a church, they would enjoy the benefits of being cared for in times of need. Then as things go well with them, they could help others who are in need.
Jay is in charge of our benevolence and we don’t just throw money at problems, we try to bring the word of God and prayer to these people as first priority. We try to assist people who will show enough interest to at least visit our services. Jesus didn’t heal every sick person, or feed every hungry mouth. But Jesus did supply grace and salvation to anyone and everyone who would come to Him in faith and repentance and follow Him in confession and baptism. Dealing with sin is a greater good work for God’s glory than paying a light bill.
I tell the callers, perhaps you are in this situation so that you will hear God’s call and find the real meaning of life in Jesus Christ.
