"Diligently Working Together"
Author: Dr. Neal Gray
Passage: Galatians 6:6-10
Purpose: Don’t lose heart. I know that sorrows
come. But don’t be weary in well-doing. Share.
Do Good. You will reap God’s good promises in
due time. God says it is true! And I believe
Him and His promises. Do you?
INTRODUCTION
Opening
When you stop to look back at the lessons
that your parents taught you, don’t you now
just thank God for their wisdom? At the
time, you might have thought that your Mom
and Dad were just trying to make your life
miserable. But now, those key lessons help
keep you steady.
One lesson that comes to mind for me is
that my parents wouldn’t let me sell any of
my tools, toys, or other goodies to my
brothers. Why would I want to sell what I no
longer needed? For profit, of course. Why
did my parents stop the transaction? Here is
what they said, "WE ARE FAMILY."
==> A simple statement of truth, "We are
family." A lesson that keeps on keeping me
steady, even now that I am older.
Scripture
Our Scripture is near the end of Paul’s
letter to the Galatian church: chapter six,
verses 6-10.
SHARING WITH ONE ANOTHER IN THE WORD
Introduction
The lesson about family was a good lesson to
learn as a child. Indeed, we lived together
as a family.
It is A GREAT LESSON TO LIVE BY as a
Christian leader and follower. In our
church, we, too, live together as a family.
As a family, WE MUST LEARN THE CHRISTIAN
ETHIC OF DILIGENTLY WORKING TOGETHER.
Share Among Family Members
The first thing to learn in diligently
working together is TO SHARE.
Those of you who have the spiritual gift
of giving are right now saying, "Well, yes,
of course. Share. Give, for all blessings
from God are given to you." I’ve known a few
people who are severely blessed with the
spiritual gift of giving. They are amazing
people to be around.
You may not be one of those "giving-
gifted" people, but every Christian must
know that SHARING IS SO VERY NATURAL in the
Christian family life.
Teacher-to-Learner Sharing
In this passage, we learn a very basic
avenue for sharing: teaching others.
Consider those who teach in your church.
The teachers share with you all that God is
giving to them. Your teachers...
* STUDY HARD, that they would handle
"accurately the word of truth," (cf.
2 Timothy 2:15)
* PRAY HARD, that they "may be filled
with the knowledge of His will in
all spiritual wisdom and
understanding," (cf. Colossians
1:9), and,
* LOVE. "The goal of [their]
instruction is love from a pure
heart and a good conscience and a
sincere faith," (cf. 1 Timothy 1:5).
==> Those who accept the responsibility to
teach you in Sunday School practice the
Christian ethic of sharing--IN THE HIGHEST
DEGREE AND IMPORTANCE!
Learner-to-Teacher Sharing
Now what about those who are of the
"household of the faith" that are physically
able to sit and hear and learn the teachings
from their Christian brothers and sisters?
HOW CAN YOU SHARE, TOO?
You can share these "good things"...
* GIVE THEM, (i.e., the teachers),
YOUR ATTENTION for one hour. If you
aren’t at Sunday School, sharing
your attention...well, you know.
When you show up late...well, you
know.
You give your secular employer more
respect and attention than you give
to those who teach you the Word of
God. At least you show up at work on
time. Or, do you?
* SHARE YOUR COMMITMENT with those who
teach. The teachers must be
committed to study and pray. Share
your commitment.
* And SHARE YOUR SUPPORT. Get involved
in your small class. Make it
something grand.
==> We are so very fortunate to have the God-
given teachers we have. Amen? Well, if you
believe that God has indeed given them to
you, then please SHARE YOURSELF WITH THEM.
Okay? All right.
YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW
Attitudes are the Father of Actions
I hope you will follow the Christian
teaching of sharing yourself, because your
life reflects your inner heart. Consider
this set of truths, for example:
==> * Your true beliefs set your
priorities.
* Your priorities set your attitudes.
* Your attitudes determine your
actions.
One of my seminary professors stated in
class, "ATTITUDES ARE THE FATHER OF
ACTIONS." Though I wasn’t sure exactly what
he meant--not then--I wrote it down for
later meditation.
Grow Up Spiritually
Just like my parent’s lessons seeming
strange when I was a child, but have become
valuable as an adult; similarly, my
professor’s words are helping me now.
Sometimes we simply must "grow up" before we
understand.
==> So friend, perhaps you can see inside of
yourself that YOU NEED TO GROW UP
SPIRITUALLY. Listen to a lesson from the
Apostle:
When I was a child, I used to
speak as a child, think as a
child, reason as a child; when I
became a man, I did away with
childish things. (1 Corinthians
13:11)
For the adults in church, WHEN WILL YOU
DO away with childish things? In general, a
sure trait of children is that they are self-
centered, selfish, and they won’t easily
share.
==> YOUR CALLING IS TO SHARE YOURSELF with
those who teach the Word to you. It is not
difficult at all, if the importance of it is
your deeply held belief. ONLY IF YOU BELIEVE
THAT HEARING THE WORD OF GOD BEING TAUGHT IS
IMPORTANT, will it become a priority. Only
then will you gain an attitude that says,
"This is right for my family." And only then
will you act.
God Is Not Deceived
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked." You
will reap what you sow.
Beloved, I am sharing with you the Word
of God. My only goal is for you "is love
from a pure heart and a good conscience and
a sincere faith," (1 Timothy 1:5b).
* I’m assuming that you want to
possess love from a pure heart. I so
hope that each of us wants that, for
love from a pure heart is what
pleases God the best.
* Surely you desire a good conscience.
Life becomes miserable when the
conscience nags at us. But the
Spirit-led conscience reminds us
that we are on the wrong track!
* And a sincere faith. With a sincere
faith, life becomes a wonderful
adventure, full of genuine hope. A
sincere faith makes life sweet.
==> God knows your heart. You will get
exactly what you want. My instruction for
you today is not so much to try to change
any action, but to LET GOD CHANGE THE
BELIEFS AND PRIORITIES IN YOUR HEART. Amen.
PERSEVERANCE
Introduction
The third and last instruction in this
passage of Paul’s letter to the Galatian
church speaks to many of you. The words that
come to my mind as I read verses 9-10 are:
DILIGENCE, PERSEVERANCE, STEADINESS, etc.
Got Sorrows?
A popular advertising slogan for the dairy
farm industry has caught on in a big way.
The simple slogan is, "Got Milk?"
I’ve seen it used to...
* Sell gasoline: "Got Gas?"
* Sell medicine for indigestion: "Got
Gas?"
* Evangelize: "Got Christ?"
==> Today, perhaps you’re feeling a little
blue, a little down about how life is
happening, perhaps about how your family,
job, or health are going. The modified
slogan would be: "GOT SORROWS?"
Life is Tough
Are you disappointed? discouraged? Are
things not exactly going and growing as
robustly are you might like?
Another famous saying comes to mind: "GOD
WILL MAKE A WAY." God’s Word says it like
this: "Let us not be weary in well-doing,"
(KJV).
Bringing the life of Christ into a world
full of dull-minded, hard-headed, stiff-
necked people is TOUGH STUFF. But IT HAS
ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY.
If you attempt to teach, live, or grow in
the true Christian way, there will be severe
opposition. Look at the "heroes hall of
fame" in Hebrews chapter eleven. Just for an
example, consider that...
* They didn’t see the promised land.
* They died in their faith without
receiving the promises of God.
* They were mocked, scourged,
imprisoned, stoned, afflicted, ill-
treated, and killed.
==> Are things not going exactly your way?
IN FAITH, TRUST GOD FULLY. God will help you
in your walk, especially when you ALLOW HIM
TO RUN YOUR LIFE rather than you!
Don’t Lose Heart
The good instruction is to "not lose heart
in doing good." Your calling is not to
succeed in this worldly life--your calling
to is faithfully obey God in an attitude of
love.
Is that hard for you to hear? Is it
difficult for you to believe? Has your faith
taken "a hit"? I know. It’s hard. And when
things are NOT GOING THE WAY YOU would have
them, sometimes God’s promises are difficult
to hang on to. BUT GOD’S PROMISES ARE STILL
SURE AND CERTAIN!
Do you lose heart so easily? Today, set
aside your childish notions of what life
should be. And follow Jesus, His Father, His
Word, His Spirit. DO WHAT YOU KNOW TO BE
RIGHT and proper and SELFLESS. And, please,
beloved, don’t lose heart in doing good. The
good promise that God will bring to pass is
this: "...in due time we shall reap if we do
not grow weary."
Some of the "faith hall of fame" persons
DID NOT EVEN SEE THE PROMISES, but they
still lived and followed and obeyed and
loved God--in faith. Many of those "faith
hall of fame" people did, however, see many
wonderful promises come true in their lives.
CONCLUSION
Hang In There!
For you, hang in there! You will see God’s
promises come true, too. Don’t lose heart.
Okay?
Diligence Required On So Many Levels
The diligence that the Bible speaks about
works on so many levels in your life.
FAMILY: I know that family life can be a
drain on you. In today’s world, it’s tough.
I say this, the more you put Christ in the
middle of your family life, the much nicer
it will be. As a family, work diligently
together, in love.
PERSONAL: In your personal life, you
struggle. Not many Christians struggle
between doing what is right versus wrong.
Rather, the tough decision is between
circumstances that are better versus best.
Your best course of action is cultivate
the friendship of Jesus. And also make
friends with some of Jesus’ friends. Work
with them.
CHURCH: And in church, the struggles are
so evident. Why? Because the enemy of Christ
Jesus wants nothing more than to embarrass
our Lord and Savior. So, the devil prompts
us into behaving badly, bringing a bad repu
tation to Jesus’ Church.
What’s the absolute best course of action
in His church? God’s Word says it best:
So then, while we have
opportunity, let us do good to all
men, and especially to those who
are of the household of the faith.
(Galatians 6:10)
Diligently Work Together
Don’t lose heart. Don’t be weary in well-
doing. Share. Do Good. DILIGENTLY WORK
TOGETHER. You will reap God’s good promises
in due time.
==> And always remember...WE ARE FAMILY!
Hymns & Reading
Suggested hymns and readings from the "Sing
to the Lord" hymnal:
O to Be Like Thee............Hymn #490
Responsive Reading................#530
Take My Life, and Let It Be
Consecrated..................Hymn #455
I Am Thine, O Lord...........Hymn #473
Holy Spirit, Thou Art
Welcome......................Hymn #309
AMEN.
SERMON NOTES
1. A simple statement of truth in the
Christian life is, "We are
__________ ."
2. We must learn the Christian ethic of
diligently ___________
______________ .
3. Your teachers in Church share with
you all that God is giving to them.
* They ________ hard
* They ________ hard, and,
* They _______ .
4. The Bible teaches that those who are
taught should share with those who
teach. You can share...
* Your ___________ for one hour
* Your _______________ , and,
* Your ____________ .
5. Your life reflects your inner heart.
For example,
* Your true _________ set your
__________
* Your _________ set your
_________
* Your _________ determine your
_________ .
6. Pastor is not asking you to change
your actions, but rather to let
_____ change the _________ and
priorities in your _______ .
7. Discouraged? "Got Sorrows?" As the
Bible says, "Do not lose heart in
doing _____ ."
AMEN.
