Spirit Led Doing Good Series

Standing in the Freedom of the Gospel:

Spirit Led Doing Good

Galatians 6:9-10

We are finishing our Galatians series, “Standing in the Freedom of the Gospel,” continuing chapter six today, looking 6:9-10. These verses encourage us to continue doing good, which I understand to mean being Spirit led living, goodness being a fruit of the Spirit. Three things I want to share with you today – Persist in Doing Good; the Priority of Doing Good; and the Purpose of Doing Good.

Message in a Sentence - Spirit Led disciples do good to all men, especially to God's family, for God's glory and God's mission.

1. Persist in Doing Good

Salvation is a free gift of Gods grace by faith alone. Though we are saved by faith alone; faith is never alone. Real faith produces fruit/works that are consistent with a new nature and new desires. So Paul's encouragement here is to be diligent in being led by and walking in the Spirit, by bearing goodness as a fruit of the Spirit. The motive for doing good is the reward of reaping in due season if we do not give up. Season points to the fact there is a time for sowing and a time for reaping. If we sow, in due season we will reap. But it also points to the reaping of eternal rewards when this age is swallowed up by the age to come, reminding us to have a long term perspective! They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. (1Ti 6:18)

2. Priority of Doing Good

We are to do good to everyone as we have the opportunity. Being Spirit led means that as opportunities arise we meet the need of others, even of our enemies. Opportunities are determined by ability, by circumstances and by need. It applies to our network of relationships (1 Thes 5:15) – our neighborhood, our friends, our work relationships, and other relationships. Then he says, especially to the household of faith. Why does he put a priority on the church, our church? Well Jesus said that, “just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (Joh 13:34-35).” It authenticates our faith to a watching world. Being involved in community, caring for each other is not optional, it is essential to Spirit led living. Do you buy into that, community is essential aspect of your faith? You have time for what you want to do; just don’t want to do it.

This is what ownership looks like – 1 - CCC home, family or just visiting like on vacation; 2 - committed discipleship process – LG; 3- serving; 4- third are you giving?

This leads us to the propose of doing good.

3. Purpose of Doing Good

Scripture always links our lives to the larger picture, something much greater than ourselves that we are by nature are part of. "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1Pe 2:9-12)

Peter gives us two reasons God has rescued us. The first is to proclaim the excellencies of God, we hare Gods chosen people who have received Gods mercy. Second sow to the Spirit, not to the flesh so that those who are not his people see our good works and glorify God. Doing good to the household of faith is not just about what benefits me but is for the glory of God and the salvation of the world. Being a disciple making community that loves one another displays Gods glory as we experience the power of grace of God and the power of the Spirit through community living. We make God look good to a lost world! We need to embrace, own community not just for ourselves but to display Gods glory and advance God's mission. The church has been deceived into thinking that community is an option but it is not. That is why we seek to do good to all, especially to the household of faith. That is why we are involved in missions, locally and globally.