Introduction:
A. The story is told of a man who was looking for a job and noticed that there was a “help wanted” sign at the zoo.
1. He inquired about the job and discovered that the zoo had a very unusual position that they needed to fill.
2. Apparently, their gorilla had died, and until they could get a new one, they needed someone to dress up like a gorilla, and pretend to be one.
a. The man was told that the gorilla suit was very realistic, and that all he had to do was sit, eat and sleep like a gorilla.
b. The pay wasn’t bad and the man needed the job, so he decided to do it.
3. The man put on the suit, took a position at the back of the cage and pretended to sleep.
4. After a while, the man got tired of sitting, so he walked around a little bit, jumped up and down and made a few gorilla noises.
a. The people who were watching him seemed to really like that.
b. When he would move or jump around or climb the tree, the people would clap and cheer.
c. This was becoming quite fun and he was really drawing a crowd!
5. So, playing to the crowd, the man in the gorilla suit grabbed a vine and swung from one side of the cage to the other.
a. As he swung higher and higher, the cheers got louder and louder.
b. Then all of the sudden, when he had swung to the highest point, the vine broke and he flew over the wall of the gorilla cage and landed in the lion’s cage next door.
6. The man in the gorilla suit frantically looked around and saw a huge lion not 20 feet away, and he looked very hungry.
a. So the man in the gorilla suit started jumping up and down, screaming, “Help, Help, get me out of here! I’m not really a gorilla. I’m just a man in a gorilla suit! Help!”
7. The lion quickly pounced on the man, held him down and said, “Will you shut up! You’re going to get both of us fired!”
B. I wanted to start with that silly story to get us thinking about the fact that sooner or later, our real identity becomes obvious to everyone.
1. Sooner or later we all get found out and our cover is blown.
2. So the question for each of us is: who are we and who are we trying to be?
3. Are we children of God who are saved by grace, and who are filled with the Spirit and are trying to keep step with the Spirit?
4. Are we really people who are sowing to the Spirit, or are we actually people who give lip service to the Spirit and are really sowing to the flesh?
5. These are critical questions that have eternal consequences.
C. Today, as we continue in our study of the book of Galatians, we come to the first ten verses of chapter 6.
1. In these verses, Paul gives us what appears to be three random thoughts: bearing burdens, sharing with one’s teacher, and sowing and reaping.
2. At first glance, they seem so random and not only seem unrelated to each other, they seem unrelated to the situation at Galatia.
3. But I believe that after a close examination, we will see that they are both related to each other and to the challenges that were being faced by the churches of Galatia.
4. What we see Paul doing in this present section, is giving some concrete illustrations of what it means to live as a Christian who is guided by freedom in the Spirit.
5. In other words, how should really spiritual, Spirit-filled, Spirit-guided people be living?
6. Let’s see how Paul answered that question.
I. Spiritual People Bear One Another’s Burdens (6:1-5)
A. Galatians 6 begins: Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load.
1. In these verses Paul explains two ways we can bear the burdens of those around us and they are: restoring the fallen, and helping the hurting.
2. As we explore these activities of spiritual people, we need to keep in mind that they are not ministries reserved for preachers, elders and leaders; rather, they are ministries for all spiritual people who are willing to get involved, and become burden-bearers for Jesus!
B. So, who are these “fallen” people and how can we help them? In verse one, Paul gives us four answers to that question.
1. First, the fallen ones are people who are trapped by sin.
a. The word “caught” was sometimes used for a bird or an animal caught in a trap.
b. It describes a believer who has been suddenly overcome by some temptation.
c. It is the picture of a believer whose leg is caught in the trap of sin.
d. The bone is broken and the person has no hope of escape.
e. So, what is needed by a person in this situation? They need someone to see that they are caught or for someone to hear their cry for help.
2. Second, Paul says that they require the help of spiritual people.
a. The phrase “you who are spiritual” in this context describes those who are walking in the Spirit, are filled with the Spirit, are producing the fruit of the Spirit, and are keep in step with the Spirit.
b. Since this is not meant to describe a certain class of super-spiritual saints, it really applies to everyone who loves the Lord and wants to please Him and keep in step with Him.
c. One writer comments that truly spiritual Christians would never use that term to describe themselves, but the mark of their spirituality is that they are alarmed at what sin has done to a brother or sister in Christ and instead of walking on by, they stop to help out.
3. Third, Paul says that they must be restored gently.
a. The word “restore” was used for setting a broken bone and for mending a fishing net.
b. If you have ever had a broken bone, then you know how painful that can be, and if the doctor is rough, he can make your pain much worse even as he tries to help you.
c. That’s why the work of spiritual restoration must be done “gently.”
4. Finally, Paul says that they must be approached carefully.
a. Here is a warning we all need to consider.
b. Paul says that we must be careful in our helping lest we should be tempted.
c. Satan sure is tricky! He knows if he can get one Christian trapped in sin, he may soon get another, and then another.
d. The way Satan works is a little like fly paper…if one fly gets stuck and another comes along and tries to help, the second fly may also get stuck.
e. The sin we may get caught in while trying to help another who is in sin, may be the same sin they are stuck in, but more often than not it will be some other sin that our helping gets us caught in – the sin of pride (we will say more about that in just a minute).
C. The second ministry of bearing another’s burdens is a bit broader than the first.
1. It certainly includes restoring the fallen, but it goes on to include ministering to those who are hurting for any reason.
2. The carrying of the burden of verse 2 refers to an overwhelming load, an impossibly huge boulder weighing a person down as they travel along the highway of life.
a. The burden may be things like: sickness, calamity, financial difficulty, broken dreams, a failed marriage, family problems, career setbacks, or the death of a loved one (when we look around our congregation, we see people suffering from a lot of these burdens).
b. I find it significant that in both cases, the case of those fallen into sin and those who are burdened, Paul doesn’t focus on the specifics of the sins or burdens, what matters to Paul is that we do something to help our brother or sister, regardless of the circumstances.
3. By helping someone carry their burden, we are fulfilling the law of Christ.
a. The law of Christ is to love your neighbor as yourself.
b. Love is a fulfillment of the law.
c. What better demonstration of our love is there than helping people carry their burdens?
D. In the last few verses of this section, Paul mentions a danger that we all should avoid - pride.
1. When we see our brother or sister stuck or suffering, we must not be too proud to get involved.
2. It’s easy to look down our nose and say, “They deserve it…I know I would never do something like that…I saw it coming…maybe they’ll listen to me next time.”
3. How quick we can be to condemn, or look the other way and pass by on the other side.
4. When we are filled with pride, and think we are something special, then we find it easy to judge and condemn.
5. But when we have humility and think that we are nobody apart from the grace of God, then we are quick to forgive, have compassion, and offer a helping hand.
6. To put it another way: the more conscious we are of our own sinfulness, the more forgiving and patient we will be with the failure of others.
7. Perhaps if we take a look in the mirror, then we might realize that we are not as great as we think we are, and our neighbor isn’t as bad as we think they are.
E. As Paul wrote the verses in this section, surely he had the Judaizers in mind as he tried to contrast how the legalist and the Spirit-led person would be different.
1. The legalist is not interested in bearing burdens, rather, the legalist adds to the burdens of others.
2. Instead of trying to restore the erring brother, the legalist will condemn him and then use the brother to make himself look good (like in the case of the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican in Luke 18).
3. The legalist lives by competition and comparison, and tries to make himself look good by making others look bad.
F. The way Paul ended the section in verse 5 makes it sound like it contradicts verse 2.
1. But there is no contradiction because Paul used two different Greek words and was speaking of two different kinds of burdens.
2. In verse 2, he used the word meaning a heavy burden, but in verse 5 he used a word meaning a soldier’s pack.
3. We should help each other bear the heavy burdens of life, but there are personal responsibilities that each person must bear for themselves – that primary personal responsibility is our personal relationship with God – no one can carry that one for us.
G. So, our first lesson for the day is that spiritual people should bear one another’s burdens.
II. Spiritual People Support Their Teachers (6:6)
A. Verse 6 says: 6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.
1. In many of Paul’s letters he stressed the principle that those who minister the Word of God deserve to be financially supported to do so (1 Cor. 9, 2 Cor 11, Phil. 4; 2 Thess. 2, & 1 Tim. 5)
2. F.F. Bruce, the great commentator wrote: “The teacher relieves the ignorance of the pupil; the pupil should relieve the teacher of concern for his subsistence.”
3. William Barclay wrote, “If a man is teaching you eternal truths, the least you can do is share with him such material things as you possess.”
4. Of course, as you recall, being supported financially was a privilege that Paul worked hard not to take advantage of.
B. Evidently there was some problem with this in Galatia.
1. Perhaps they had made a good start with financially supporting their elders and teachers, but had become weary in well-doing.
2. Perhaps some were arguing that they were free in Christ to use their money for other things.
3. We don’t know what they were saying, but we do know that of all the things Paul might mention that spiritual people should be doing, he chose to mention relieving the financial burden of those who teach God’s Word.
4. Paul’s closest parallel to this passage says, “If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?” (1 Cor. 9:11)
C. Let me take a minute to complement our congregation.
1. I so very much appreciate the way this church family has shared all good things with me and has so very well supported me over the 26 years we have worked together.
2. You have been a generous people – that’s what spiritual people are supposed to be!
3. Spiritual people are good stewards of their money and cheerfully invest their money in spiritual things.
III. Spiritual People Sow What is Good (6:7-10)
A. Our section for today from Galatians 6 ends with: 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he 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 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
1. Two important principles concerning spiritual sowing are found in these verses.
B. First of all, we reap what we sow (This is a warning and a promise).
1. This is God’s principle and rule – And no one can pull one over on God.
2. If we plant wheat, we should expect wheat, not corn.
3. If we plant pumpkin seeds, we should expect pumpkins, not oranges (even though same color).
4. Picture a farm with two large fields – one is labeled flesh, the other is labeled Spirit.
a. Every day we have hundreds of chances to sow in one field or the other.
b. Everything we do is either sowing to the flesh or sowing to the Spirit.
c. Every word we speak, every step we take, every decision we make leads in one direction or the other.
d. This includes what we read, how we dress, who we talk to, what we watch on TV, what music we listen to, what video games we play, and where we surf on the Internet.
e. Every day life is a series of choices, and every choice is sowing a seed into the Flesh Field or the Spirit Field.
5. What should we expect if most of our sowing is in the Flesh Field? – Paul says we will reap corruption – should that surprise us?
6. What should we expect if most of our sowing is in the Spirit Field? – Paul says we will reap eternal life – should that surprise us?
7. We reap what we sow – once the sowing is finished, the harvest cannot be changed.
C. Second, we learn that reaping a godly harvest requires patience and persistence.
1. Farming is hard work – it is a full-time job, a year-round task.
a. There is no end to the jobs that have to be done.
b. If you want the harvest, then you’ve got to work even when you feel like giving up.
c. The seed that is planted does not bear fruit immediately.
d. If you keep digging up the seed to see how it is doing, it won’t grow.
e. Effective farming requires patience and persistence.
2. Calvin Coolidge, our 30th president, said: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with great talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence, determination alone are omnipotent.”
3. One of the greatest NFL running backs of all time was Walter Payton.
a. Even though he was only 5 ft 10 inches tall and 202 pounds, he held the most career rushing yards in the NFL for many years until Emmit Smith broke that record.
b. During his 12 year career, Payton carried the football over nine miles (you might say 9 miles is nothing…I run 5 or 10 all the time…Mark Condolora has run 4 marathons!
c. But if you divide that number by the number of times he ran the ball, you discover that he was knocked down to the ground by somebody bigger than him every 4.4 yards. Do you think anyone would finish a marathon if they were knocked down ever 4.4 yards?
d. He carried the ball three thousand, eight hundred, and thirty-eight times and most of those times he was tripped up, knocked down, or tackled – and not gently.
e. Can you imagine the persistence Payton possessed to keep getting up after being knocked down so many times!
4. Imagine your life being like a football game – imagine the struggles, challenges and heartaches being like getting tackled.
a. It’s easy to grow weary and give up, but we need to remind ourselves that we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
b. We need to remember that life is hard, but God can help us deal with it.
c. We need to remember that people are difficult, but God can help us love them anyway.
d. We need to remember that things don’t always go as we planned, but God can help us move forward anyway.
e. We need to remember that not all our prayers are answered the way we want, but we can keep praying anyway.
f. We need to remember that God doesn’t always do what we think He should do, but we can trust Him anyway.
g. We need to remember that we may be so scared, but we can keep believing anyway.
5. All the while, God cheers us on saying: Don’t give up! Don’t stop! Don’t grow weary! Keep sowing good things! Because there is a wonderful harvest coming!!!
6. As we have opportunity, we must do good to all, especially those of the household of faith.
7. We must seize the opportunities before they disappear – it is so easy to miss the opportunities to serve that God places before us, that’s why we have to walk in the Spirit, and keep in step with the Spirit, because the Spirit will help us to see and seize the opportunities.
Conclusion:
A. We have covered a lot of ground today so let’s try to summarize it and bring it all into focus.
B. As God’s people we want to be spiritual people – people who are filled with the Spirit, led by the Spirit and empowered by the Spirit – we want that to be our real spiritual identity!
C. In today’s section from Gal. 6, we have learned three things about spiritual people.
1. Spiritual People Bear One Another’s Burdens
2. Spiritual People Support Their Teachers
3. Spiritual People Sow What is Good
D. How many of us realize that this world is passing away and that life is short?
1. How sad that so many people in the world are sowing to the flesh and will come to the end of their lives with nothing of eternal value to show for their efforts!
2. We must show them a better way by seeking first the kingdom of God and sowing to the Spirit.
E. Jesus is coming back and soon – Are you ready?
1. Let’s ask ourselves and others that question every day: Are you ready?
2. And let’s remind ourselves and others: Whatever we sow, that’s what we will reap.
3. What is your real spiritual identity…be truthful…remember God knows…He can’t be fooled or mocked.
Resources:
Galatians, The NIV Application Commentary by Scot McKnight, Zondervan, 1995
Galatians For You, Timothy Keller, The Good Book Company, 2013.
Galatians, Maxie Dunnam, The Communicator’s Commentary, Word, 1982.
The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians, William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series,
Westminster Press, 1976.
Be Free – Galatians, Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Victor Books, 1989.
Restoring the Fallen, Helping the Hurting: Two Ways You Can Serve the Lord, Sermon by Ray
Pritchard, www.keepbelieving.com
The Law of Christ, Bearing Each Other’s Burdens, Sermon by John Piper, www.desiringgod.org
The Law of the Harvest: God’s Plan for Spiritual Prosperity, Sermon by Ray Pritchard,
www.keepbelieving.com.
Do Not Grow Weary in Well-Doing, Sermon by John Piper, www.desiringgod.org.
