Chasing the Wind

Introduction

What is the most common phrase in the entire bible? “Fear Not.”

There is another very common phrase used throughout the bible, it is “one another.” These are instructions on how to get along with … well, one another. “Love on another” is used at least a dozen times in the New Testament.

• James 5:16, “Pray for one another.”
• 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Edify one another.”
• Romans 12:10, “Prefer one another.”
• 1 Peter 4:9, “hospitality for one another.”
• Ephesians 4:32, “be kind and compassionate to one another.”
• Bee Gees, “Islands in the Stream,” “from one lover to another, ah ha”

Actually, have you ever noticed how almost every love song on pop radio can apply to the love of Jesus? For instance, “Islands in the Stream” goes

Baby, when I met you there was peace unknown
I set out to get you with a fine tooth comb
I was soft inside
There was something going on

You do something to me that I can’t explain
Hold me closer and I feel no pain
Every beat of my heart
We got something going on

I mean, what a beautiful song to God, except for calling him “Baby when I met you.”

Today we’re going to wrap up Galatians 6 instead of singing songs from the Bee Gees and apply this “one other” philosophy. We’ve been talking about how the law helps us grown and obedience to the law exposes us to our sins, but at the same time, we are no longer bound to the law because of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus. In Galatians 6, Paul will summarize this balance between too much law versus too much liberty, and what that means as we relate to others.

Galatians 6:1-5, Bearing Burdens

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.

Paul tells us to carry each other’s burden, and provides a hypothetical example of a Christian brother or sister “caught in a sin.” The Greek word Paul uses for “caught” means “to take before” or “to forestall” before he can conceal his crime. It also implies there is an element of surprise.

So, all of Galatians has been to teach us we should balance legalism with liberty. Here, Paul teaches us that it is our responsibility to approach our brothers and sisters who are caught in a sin. But then he cautions us about our attitude when we approach a brother or a sister.

A liberal, anything goes attitude is easy to see as destructive. If somebody else sins, what business is it of mine? That’s up to them and God. Why should I get involved?

• What is wrong with a liberal attitude toward a brother’s sin?
• What is wrong with a legalistic attitude?

Legalism can be far worse than liberalism. A legalistic approach exposes our poor motives, our poor heart, our poor love of Christ. Remember the story in Act 21:27? Legalistic Jews stirred up the crowd and accused Paul of bringing Greeks into the temple and defiling it just because they had seen Paul with a Greek in the city. They tried to kill him over rumors and suspicions that had no basis in fact. Or what about the Pharisees who dragged the adulterous woman before Jesus? Did the Pharisees care about the adulterous woman?

The Pharisees exposed the adulterous woman for their own selfish purposes. They wanted to exalt themselves by stoning the woman. They wanted to make themselves look good by making somebody else look bad. The spiritual man should restore the sinner gently. The Greek word for “restore” is also used for mending a net or for setting a broken bone. The goal is not to elevate ourselves, but to help the brother who is sinning.

• How should we as believers approach someone who has sinned? How do we restore a Christian who has strayed?

We should remember that the proper attitude in approaching a brother or sister is one of meekness and love. Legalism will instead give us an attitude of pride and condemnation.

• Verse 4 says we should test our own actions without comparing ourselves to somebody else. What’s wrong with comparing ourselves to others? (Leads to either feeling superior and complacent or inferior and hopeless).
• What does it mean to test our own actions?

If you’ve been involved with a church for a long time, you probably realize that church people are messed up people. God didn’t send His son to die for us because he wants us just to be better people. He sent Jesus because we are messed up. We need a savior.

• Although sins are all equal in the eyes of the Lord, addressing some sins are harder than others. If a brother has an addiction to alcohol or drugs, for instance, that’s much harder than correcting a gossiping tongue. What sins in ourselves and others around us do we simply accept? What keeps us complacent?

Verse two says we are to carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, we fulfill the law of Christ. Our natural reaction is not always a good reaction; when our brother sins, it a burden. It’s a shackle. It can drag us down and it can keep us from experiencing the joy in Christ. Instead of condemning our brother in a legalistic way, as the Pharisees did, remember that Christ tells us to help our brother carry that burden.

• Verse 5 tells us to carry each other’s burdens. Verse 5 tells us to carry our own burden. Are these two verses in conflict? (We are all individually accountable to God.)

Galatians 6:6-10, Sharing Blessings

Verse 6 through 8 expands on Paul’s teachings about carrying one another’s burden.

Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Let’s tackle these one verse at a time. Verse 6, “Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.” In this precept, Paul tells us that instructors in God’s word shares spiritual treasures, and those that learn are to share material things. We must remember that what we do with material things is evidence of how we value spiritual things. Matthew 6:21, Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

But we must realize the spiritual principle behind this precept. Verses 7 and 8 says that God wants us to give to that we may receive an even greater blessing. God teaches us throughout the bible that we will reap what we sow. A farmer that sows wheat can expect a harvest of wheat. We can use our material goods to promote the flesh, or we can use our material goods to promote the spirit.

We all want good harvest. We want Godly friends. We all want the best that God will provide. But the principle here reminds us that once we have sown the seed, we cannot change the harvest. We will reap what we sow. Money sown to the flesh will bring a harvest of corruption. That money is gone, it can never be reclaimed. Money sown for God’s purpose will produce life, and in that harvest will be seeds that can be planted again. If every believer looked at his material wealth as seed and planted it properly, we would all be reaping a bountiful harvest.

• What is an example of a bad harvest?
• Where were the seeds for that bad harvest planted?
• What is an example of a good harvest?
• How can we sow to the Spirit?

It’s also important to realize that it’s not just what we sow, but how much we sow. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says, ” Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” If you sow spiritual and material gifts around you generously, your harvest will be bountiful.

After the precept and the principle, now Paul tells us the promise in verse 9. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” We are promised a bountiful harvest if we sow generously, either in this life or the next. We are cautioned, though, to keep our spirits up. The King James version doesn’t use the words “give up;” it says “for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” It’s spiritual fainting, getting weary in the work of the Lord, fainting, stopping.

• What causes physical fainting?
• What causes spiritual fainting?
• How can we prevent spiritual fainting?
• In verse 10, why does Paul add, “especially to those who belong to the family of believers?”

In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy and Charlie Brown are having a discussion. Lucy asks, “Why are we here on earth?” And Charlie Brown replies, “To make others happy.” Lucy considers this for a moment and then asks, “Then why are the others here?”

When we carry each other’s burdens, God has a purpose that we should strengthen each other, not tear each other down or become weary. Our brother or sister in Christ is a receiver of our blessings so that they may in turn become a transmitter of blessings. 1 Thessalonians 3:12 says as we abound in love for one another, we overflow in love for all men.

In Malachi 1:10-13, the people are bringing food to the temple as a sacrifice to God, then they complain that the food doesn’t taste good. The people complain they are bored of worshiping the Lord. The material possessions they bring the Lord are not the best of their, but their diseased and crippled sacrificial lambs. They are sticking their noses in the air and acting as though they were superior. Superior to God Almighty! And God says their sacrifices are worthless. In fact, He says He wishes they would just lock the temple doors so the people would stop lighting useless fires on His altar.

We are good witnesses for the Lord if we do good works for Him out of love, but also use encouraging words. And because we’re all messed up in one way or another, Paul tells us not to criticize our Christian brothers and sisters when they fall, but we are to encourage and restore them gently, and we are to carry each other’s burdens. With our material and spiritual gifts, we are to sow abundantly. And God promises we will reap abundantly and have abundant life in our Lord Jesus.

That’s something to be thankful for every day, is it not?