Burdens We Bear, Burdens We Share,
Gal 5:19-6:10
INTRODUCTION:
A. I trust that as well a taught congregation as you are that you have no need for me to tell you that the chapter and verse numbering was added by man and is not inspired of God. There is a bad chapter division in Galatians 5 & 6.
B. The apostle Paul was truly one of the most gifted writers of all times. His writings would have been know even if they were not inspired by the Holy Spirit. He always used a very practical method of writing his books. In the first part of his books he would expound the great doctrines. In the last half he would show us how to make these teachings practical to our every day lives. So was his method in the book of Galatians.
C. The text we have read is one of those wonderful practical text. These verses brush aside the great theological discourses and get right down to where you and I live. It is where the rubber meets the road in our Christians life. It is the gospel in Blue Jeans.
WE HAVE IN THESE VERSES A THREEFOLD DIRECTIONAL RELATIONSHIP DESCRIBED:
1. WE HAVE THE INWARD RELATIONSHIP: The relationship with ourselves.
2. WE HAVE THE OUTWARD RELATIONSHIP: The relationship with our fellow man and especially those of the household of faith.
3. WE HAVE THE UPWARD RELATIONSHIP: The relationship with our God.
I. THE INWARD RELATIONSHIP: The struggle of the flesh and the spirit nature.
THE FLESH:
{19} Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, {20} Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation’s, wrath, strife, sedition’s, heresies, {21} Envying, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
THE SPIRIT:
{22-23} But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
II. THE OUTWARD RELATIONSHIP: Our relationship with others - especially those of the household of faith.
A. BURDENS WE BEAR - BURDENS WE SHARE:
{1} Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. {2 } Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
{3} For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. {4} But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
{5} For every man shall bear his own burden.
{6} Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
III. THE UPWARD RELATIONSHIP. (With our God.) The great law of sowing and reaping.
{7} Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
{8} For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
{9} And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. {10} As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
A. God give us the 3 laws of the harvest.
1. YOU REAP THE SAME KIND THAT YOU SOW.
A. You say that this is so obvious that it is hardly worth thinking about. However, it is truly one of the great laws of the harvest.
B. You go out and sow pole beans - get pole beans.
watermelon - watermelon
yellow squash - yellow squash
okra - okra.
C. The physical and the spiritual realm works exactly the same.
Sow in you life love, kindness, friendship, optimism, joy, peace and you will reap love, kindness, friends, optimism, joy, peace, etc..
Sow in your life hate, unkindness, misery, pessimism. Sow in you mind trash, filth, profanity - that’s what you reap back.
Sow in your life truth, wisdom, knowledge of the right kind and - - - -
D. Sow to the spirit - reap life
Sow to the flesh - reap death.
E. Some Christians plant bad seeds all week and then come to church on Sunday and pray for a crop failure. It just don’t work. Even the law of forgiveness and God’s grace won’t alter this immutable law of the harvest.
II. THE SECOND LAW OF THE HARVEST IS YOU REAP IN A DIFFERENT SEASON THAT YOU SOW.
A. If you go out in March and plow up a piece of ground and plant corn - You wouldn’t go out the next week and say, "Well I guess that I’m not going to get a harvest of corn." It will be June or July before you harvest corn.
This is such an important part of the law of the harvest.
B. It would be good if when a person sowed sin and disobedience it would come up overnight and you could see how ugly and horrendous it was and you could say, "Oh! God, forgive me. But it doesn’t come up that way."
Look at the life of David: How many time had he failed to go to war with his troops. He took Bathsheba but nothing happened. Then sin began to grow. The baby - the lies - the murder - the cover up. He didn’t reap the bad seeds he sowed the same time the sowed them. David never did stop reaping from his sin.
C. We have members who are sowing seeds that will not come to full bloom until years from now in their children’s lives. Many people don’t realize what a crop they will reap in the lives of their children.
GOD WILL NOT BE MOCKED. YOU WON’T IGNORE GOD AND GET AWAY WITH IT.
D. David knew this great truth when he wrote in the Psalm, "Then I stopped to consider their end."
E. Now don’t let the devil fool you on the other side of the coin. If you do good and sow good seeds and you are not reaping any good from them. You keep on sowing because you don’t harvest in the same season you plant.
III. THE THIRD LAW OF THE HARVEST: YOU ALWAYS REAP IN PROPORTION TO WHAT YOU SOW.
A. You plant 500 kernels of corn. you will reap more than if you plant 100 kernels of corn. The more you sow the more you reap. He who sow sparingly, reaps sparingly. He who sows bountifully, reaps bountifully.
B. You get out of anything what you put into it.
C. If you pour you life out on God - He will pour His life and blessings out on you.
CONCLUSION: The message - Stop right now sowing bad seeds - Start right now sowing good seeds.
