Culver Community Church

Pastor Chris Sweeney

Sermon Notes

November 17, 2019

Galatians 6:1- 6 Grace in Action, Living Love by Sharing Burdens

{vs 1} Bretheren – once again we are reminded that this applies to believers.  Even more, it is those who are spiritual, who live by the Spirit (NIV) or who are walking by the Spirit (chapter 5) who are addressed here.  Don’t get this wrong, this is not for those who have become spiritual giants (‘all that and a side of chips’); it’s not just for pastors, elders or those who have been believers for fifty years.  This is for those who are yielded to the Spirit – those who have given up their own way of doing things and are listening to God!  Why?  Because this is difficult, it can only be done well (done right), when it is done God’s way!  It doesn’t take God’s wisdom and great spirituality to see someone who is about to or who has fallen into sin - - - the tough part is going to them in a Godly way!

Nothing exposes legalists (like the false teachers here at Galatia) better than the way that they deal with those who have sinned (i.e. the woman caught in the act of adultery that the Pharisees dragged out in public before Jesus).  This is why these instructions are so vital to these fellowships, which are dealing with false teaching legalists!  The legalist, the Pharisee and the fleshly person will mess this up every time, which is why Paul and the Holy Spirit are not instructing the immature believers to help here!  Sadly, it is usually the fleshliest among us, the most un-spiritual people who rush into these situations, only to satisfy their legalistic tendencies.  They jump in, and instead of helping the fallen brother; they add salt to the wound (in the painful sense, not the good/healing way).  It is far easier to compare and judge (as chapter five forbids) than it is to pray for a fallen brother or sister, to encourage, to help them see the error of their way and to help get them back on their feet!  After all, when I look down on someone else, it makes me feel like I am up (doing well, righteous, superior).  Helping a person out of a fall (God’s way) has no such fleshly reward; it takes true concern for another person (Agape love), it takes self-sacrifice, it is often dangerous and it is time consuming.

So who is it that we, who are yielded to the Spirit, are looking for?  It is those caught in a sin (those overtaken in a fall or who have stumbled).  This is beautiful language, which describes someone who is walking along (implied - by the Spirit) but by lack of caution or attention – sin comes up behind them and catches them unaware!  This can be the person who is about to be overtaken or the one who has already fallen.  This does not describe the person premeditatedly or constantly working the works of the flesh, but someone who is surprised by temptation.  Far too many believers are trying to walk a good walk, thinking everything is going well, when they are overtaken in this way!  Paul warns of this in -

{1 Corinthians 10:12-13 NIV} So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! {13} No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Whenever we think that we are safe or too strong to fall for that, even in the Lord – that is when we are at our most vulnerable!

It is the person who says ‘I would never do that’ who will find themselves right in the middle of that sin!  It is the humble man or woman who knows that ‘there but for the grace of God, go I’ and who is on guard because they are aware of how easily we all can fall.  God is faithful and He will always provide a way of escape, but many of us are not even watching out for the trap!  As the verse says – it is not that your temptation is something unique or special, some great trap that no one could get out of (as we would like to think) – no, all the temptations we face are common to man!  Jesus beat them, and not by Divine or supernatural power but by the same tools available to each of us.  Jesus victoriously withstood the Devil and sent him packing, because He was led by the Spirit (God) and completely relied on Him!  That walking by the Spirit, is exactly what Paul is clueing us into in chapter 5! 

Remember those Pharisees who brought the woman caught in adultery, they all disappeared one by one – why?  Because they had been brought face to face with their own sin – “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  Wouldn’t we all just love to know what Jesus was doodling in the dust that day? - That’s part of the problem!  We all want a view to the sins of others, but God is directing us to 1) examine (fruit inspect) and guard ourselves so that we might safely walk by the Spirit and then 2) watch out for our fellow man and gently restore the one who has fallen.

Restore – Now, how do we do that?  Restore means to pick them up, to heal or help them become whole or functional. That is the responsibility that we, as ‘spiritual’ believers, have to our brother/sister in Christ regarding sin.  The word in the New Testament is used for mending, as a fishermen would a net or a doctor would set/restore a broken bone.  It seems telling that both take considerable care and time – just as the process of restoring a brother does.  When we try to rush a restoration – standing our fallen believer (or even a spiritual leader) back up and walking away, too quickly – we set them up, only to fall right back down!  This process involves coming alongside and making them aware of the situation in love (not judgmentally) – especially for those who are on the verge, but have not yet fallen!  Some who are teetering on the brink of a fall, don’t even know that they are on the edge.  The best-case scenario would be that the person, being made aware would flee to the safety found in God’s arms.  However, most often the brother in trouble turns around to bite the outstretched arm.  When we reach out – we must be prepared for this danger.

No one likes being made aware of their sin or that they are about to fall!  This is why the key word gently must not be forgotten.  We have to approach with the Agape love (that fruit of the Spirit) which is gentle in nature.  In that loving, meek, gentle way we can, out of true concern for this brother’s welfare and without being judgmental – offer to help in any way they need.  Can we help them see the danger?  Can we pray for them?  Can we encourage them?  Can we be their accountability partner?  How or what can we do?  Every instance is different.  Not only is there a danger that they might snap at us (an offense which love can overlook) but we must also be careful that in getting close to them, we are not endangering ourselves.  “Watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”  Sometimes, the person who understands best, because they’ve come out of a similar sin is pulled back in just from proximately to the one they are trying to help.  If you see a believer who struggles with sins you have proclivities towards – don’t get into the same trouble with them (like the drowning swimmer who pulls the lifeguard down with them).  Sin is nothing to toy around with, we need to approach only after being inoculated by yielding to God’s Spirit - - - and don’t let that protection fall!

{vs 2} When Paul connects the idea of the one overtaken in a trespass and a burden to bear, it paints the picture of a person sagging under a heavy load.  In this way, we can come alongside and help them to carry the weight, maybe even the greater or lion’s share of it.  However, we must know that this is not take their burden away; they must participate to whatever degree they can!  No one can take the danger, the temptations and trials of another person off their shoulder completely.  In this world (this temporary life we live until He takes us to be with Him), we will have troubles (John 16:33) or burdens.  That is a guarantee, a promise from Jesus Himself!  Although the trouble may be too heavy for the believer that Satan designed it for, it can be more easily carried by a brother or sister, simply because it is not their burden!  In carrying each other’s burdens, we fulfill the law of Christ.  Now you might say, Pastor I thought we were free of the Law – believers are!  However, as we walk by the Spirit we fulfill the Law, not from obligation but from love!  This however, is not the Law of Moses, but the law of Christ here.  This law is the command given by Jesus, that new command that fulfills all the previous commands put together – that we should love one another!  Love does not condemn/judge, it reproves and restores! 

{vs 3-5} Since it is so very human, so hard to avoid (in the flesh), Paul by the Holy Spirit repeats the command that we not compare ourselves to each other.  We must not be tricked or trick ourselves into thinking that we are strong – our strength is the Lord!  Let us not become complacent but constantly test ourselves, inspecting our fruit and guarding against the works of the flesh!  “Then they can take pride in themselves alone” – this is a poor translation.  What the ‘take pride’ actually expresses is they can ‘rejoice in’.  What Paul desires is that the person who self-examines, who tests their own actions (literally works, like works of the flesh) who walks by the Spirit.  Anyone who does that can and should rejoice in what God is doing in their life!  It is not a pride that says ‘look at me!’ but a joy over what God is doing in me (again it is God’s fruit, not ours!)

Bearing each other’s burdens versus carry our own load – do these contradict?  No!  God’s Word never contradicts itself because God never does!  These are two different words.  Burden is as we described a weight too heavy for one to carry but the Greek for load describes a personal burden.  This is used of a soldiers backpack and of a pregnant woman who carries a child (not that children are a burden, necessarily).  So we help with the unbearable weight but must not shirk our bearable responsibilities onto someone else!

{vs 6} We conclude this section on bearing each other’s burdens and carrying our own loads with an instruction to help those who teach the Word.  Whether it is the pastor who preaches, the elders who sow into your life or the ‘spiritual’ brother who comes alongside to help you when you have fallen – these who give of themselves (often sacrificially) should receive help from us.  It is a simple trade, if they give of what they have (God’s Word, instruction, giftings) then we should share what we have.  All of us have good things, to varying degrees.  Is it financial, is it food, is it the ability to work on cars, to clean to babysit, - - - whatever you have, give of it to help them, just as they are helping you!