Sunday Sermon: Bear One Another's Burdens (Galatians 6:1-10

You are listening to the teaching ministry of Gabriel Hughes, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Junction City, Kansas. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday on this podcast, we feature 20 minutes of Bible study through a New Testament book.

On Thursday is a study in the Old Testament, and then we answer questions from the listeners on Friday. Each Sunday we are pleased to share our sermon series, presently going through the book of Galatians.

Here's Pastor Gabe. Galatians 6 verse 1,.

The Fruit of the Spirit and the Works of the Flesh

Galatians 6 verse 1,. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Let us come before the Lord once again in prayer. Heavenly Father, as we have opened up this word, your word, that was delivered to us through your son and given to his apostles, I pray that we receive this word as authoritative.

This is a word that governs every single person's life, whether they acknowledge that that word has authority over them or not. Your word has gone out, and all people are to stop and awe in wonder at the voice of the creator who has called us to himself through our Lord Jesus Christ, so that we may believe in him and live.

As we read in 1 John 1, 9, if we are faithful to ask forgiveness for our sins, you are faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And may we find that that answer to the forgiveness of sins has been mentioned many times this morning already.

The answer to forgiveness is in Jesus Christ. May we not forget that, may it not fall on deaf ears, but we rejoice to hear the good news of the gospel and encourage one another by it. In Jesus' name we pray, and all God's people said, amen.

Thank you. You may be seated. So last week, we learned about walking by the spirit, which included the fruit of the spirit. Again, not fruits of the spirit, but the fruit of the spirit, that we have nine fruit that are mentioned there.

They are a fruit, one singular, that all believers should exhibit. Can we all repeat the fruit of the spirit together? Some of you may know this off the top of your head, Galatians 5, 22 through 23, but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Against such things there is no law. Now we love to talk about the fruit of the spirit. We even have a song about it. We sing about it like once a month in Awana, I think it is. If you will recall, the theme of our VBS three years ago was the fruit of the spirit.

Any one of our children in this church could stand up here and give you the fruit of the spirit, and that's wonderful to think about, that our kids have that memorized. But while we may rejoice to memorize the fruit of the spirit, which is certainly worthwhile, we are not as familiar with the works of the flesh.

Why is it important to know what the works of the flesh are? Let me give you three reasons. The first reason is because the spirit says that the works of the flesh are evident. In other words, we must know what they are because the Bible says so.

And we must know what these works are so that we will not do them. We go once again to Galatians 5 verses 19 through 21, immediately preceding the fruit of the spirit. Now the works of the flesh are evident.

Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. When we get to the fruit of the spirit, we read that the fruit of the spirit is first love.

We must recognize that love is not sexual immorality because as verse 17 says, the desires of the flesh are against the spirit and the desires of the spirit are against the flesh for these are opposed to one another.

Our world equates sexual immorality with love. But if we know God's definition of love, then we won't be taken by the world's redefinition of love. What did God say is love? Jesus said in John 15, 13, greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

The definition of love is very simply Jesus Christ. And the love of Christ is sacrificial as our love for one another should also be sacrificial. No love will ever be greater than what Jesus did for us, but in light of what Jesus did, laying down his life for our sins, we likewise should lay down our lives for one another.

Now that does not mean that we can atone for one another's sins, but we understand the application of Christlikeness given in a passage like Philippians 2, 3, do nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. And then Paul says that thinking this way, verse 5, is having the mind of Christ. Ephesians 5, 25 says this, husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Now this does not mean that a husband must literally die for his wife, although some of your wives might wish you would, I'm just kidding, just kidding. But the husband must consider the needs of his family ahead of his own ambitions, ahead of his own desires, especially ahead of his flesh.

It's not wrong for a husband to have personal ambitions and dreams, but his priority is first to his family. Take this principle for the home and apply it to the church. Consider one another's needs ahead of your own.

In doing this, we love one another. And if we love one another, guess what? We won't be doing the works of the flesh. The second reason that we should know the works of the flesh in addition to the fruit of the Spirit is once again so we don't do them.

The rest of verse 21 says, I warn you as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. This is the penalty for those who walk by the flesh rather than the Spirit.

Whoever lives according to the flesh will perish under the judgment of God. This should cause us to hunger for the gospel. When we hear this, we want the power of God for salvation to all who believe.

Just like the hearing of the law brings knowledge of our sin, according to Romans 320, the hearing of the works of the flesh will do the same. Then we reach for the gospel, which produces godliness, the fruit of the Spirit.

When we walk by the Spirit, again, we do not gratify the desires of the flesh. The third reason that we should know the works of the flesh in addition to the fruit of the is because it helps us to understand the first half of Jesus' command, repent and believe.

Dave has been teaching through Mark on Sunday morning, right at the start of Mark, Mark 1, 14 and 15. It says, Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God and saying, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent and believe the gospel. The command of Christ to repent and believe means that we turn from something and we turn to something. We repent, or we turn from our sin, and we believe, or we turn to Christ.

Apply this understanding to the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. You are turning from a sin nature, which manifests itself in the rotten works of the flesh. And you are turning to a new nature, which produces the beautiful fruit of the Spirit.

So knowing the works of the flesh specifies what we are turning from and told to repent from. The fruit of the Spirit specifies what we will be turned into when we obey the command to believe. Make sense?

Repent and believe. Turn from the works of the flesh, turn to the fruit of the Spirit. So I have spent about the first 10 minutes here this morning talking about what we already talked about last week.

Why have I spent so much time talking about this again? So here are three more reasons. Number one, because I like talking about it. Number two, because not all of you were here last week. Number three, no conviction or condemnation intended with that statement.

Here's the third reason, because the section on the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit is bookended with this command, love your neighbor. Galatians 5 .14 says, for the whole law is fulfilled in one word, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Then we get to the fruit of the Spirit in verses 16 through 26. Now we start chapter six with the same command in verse two, bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. This is the command to love one another.

Let's consider once more the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. What do you need in order to produce the fruit of the Spirit?

Well, first of all, you need the Spirit. Thank you, Sonia. Secondly, you need people. You need people to produce the fruit of the Spirit. You need people to show love to, do you not? You need people to rejoice with.

You need people to exhibit peacefulness. Here's a tough one. You need people to be patient with. You need people to be kind to. How do you grow in kindness if not to show kindness to one another? You need people to be good to.

You need people to be faithful to. You need people to be gentle with. And you need people to be self-controlled toward. Anybody who has brothers and sisters understands. And furthermore, my friends, you need people that they may display the same fruit back to you, lest any of you think more highly of yourselves than you ought to think.

You need to let people love you. And don't make it hard for them to love you. You need people to take joy in you, to show you peace, to show you kindness, to give you goodness, to be faithful to you, to be gentle with you.

And through accountability, you need people that you may develop self-control. A lot of us have this sense that the Christian walk is all about just me and Jesus, or as I've heard Jared C. Wilson say it, it's me and my Bible Christianity.

Just my relationship with God. It's just about me and God. That's all it is. My friends, it's not about just you and God. You certainly have a relationship with God through faith in Christ, yes, but Christianity is not just about your association with God or even just you and your family trying to tough it out in this crazy world.

The Christian walk requires fellowship with other Christians. Jesus did not call you to closet Christianity. He called you to love one another, and you need each other. In order to fulfill what Paul calls here, the law of Christ.

As author and theologian Tim Challies has said, sanctification is a community project. You grow in holiness and righteousness and the knowledge of God, and therefore, also the fruit of the spirit with other believers.

You cannot fulfill the law of Christ by yourself. You cannot grow in your faith on your own. 2 Timothy 2 .22 says this, so flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

That passage, by the way, is Galatians 5 .14 through 6 .10 simplified in one verse. Flee youthful passions, that means works of the flesh, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, which you might recognize as a truncated list of the fruit of the spirit.

Along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart means that you do this with the church, the body of believers who call on the Lord from a heart that together is being made righteous. Sometimes loving one another means that we will need to call one another to correction.

And in the context of loving one another and growing together, we have Galatians 6 .1, our first verse this morning. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness, which, of course, is a fruit of the spirit.

Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. My friends, calling to one another to correction is a requirement. It is a command of Christ. Consider this passage in Matthew 18 verses 15 through 20, and we have this section of scripture even included in our own constitution as a church as to how we deal with sin in one another.

Matthew 18, 15 through 20, Jesus said, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Again, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven, for where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them. Now, that last statement in verse 20, we often tag on to our prayer gatherings and Bible studies where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.

That's not about a prayer gathering. God is with you when you are praying by yourself. Amen? This is in the context of church discipline, and it is the command of Christ that we follow it, where two or three are gathered as witnesses regarding one who has been walking in sin.

They speak with the authority of Christ when they call a brother or sister who is wayward in the faith to repentance. Notice something in this progression of discipline. It starts with a one-on-one confrontation.

And if the person refuses to repent, it gradually becomes more and more public until the entire church is involved. Understand plainly, my friends, sin is not, nor has it ever been, a private matter. And when we try to keep it private, what we teach others, even you as parents, what you teach your kids, is that's really not all that bad as long as nobody finds out about it.

But our Lord God knows and sees all. He is the one who tests mind and heart. It takes the body of Christ to help one another overcome those sins that want to cling to us so closely. James 5, 15 through 16 says, therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed.

Consider that in Philippians 4, the Apostle Paul calls out two women in front of the whole church. I entreat Iodia and I entreat Sintesh to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, true companion, talking to the rest of the body, help these women who have labored side by side with me in the gospel.

Well, how about that? Their names written down in the Bible for the entire church for the last 2 ,000 years to hear about this disagreement that had happened between these two women in the church in Philippi.

We don't know what the conflict between these two women was exactly, but we get the sense that it had been going on for a while and had not yet been resolved. Paul names two disagreeable women before the church, and it's written down in history for all of us to read.

And then the Apostle commissions the church to restore them in a spirit of gentleness, treating them and regarding them as sisters and reminding them that they are sisters with one another. All throughout this process of discipline, we are told to correct in a spirit of gentleness.

1 Peter 3 15, we are told to answer unbelievers with gentleness and respect. In 2 Timothy 2 25, we're told to correct opponents with gentleness. That same gentle spirit most definitely should apply to the way that we correct disagreement among brothers and sisters in the family of God.

2 Thessalonians 3 verses 13 through 15 says this, as for you brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. Sound familiar? We've read that even in this Galatians passage. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person and have nothing to do with him that he may be ashamed.

Do not regard him as an enemy. Now that's so compassionate for Paul to include that because he just said, if this person continues in sin, they will not repent, have nothing to do with him so that he may be ashamed, but then clarifies he's not your enemy.

Warn him as a brother. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. Notice that this directive on discipline begins with this, do not grow weary in doing good. In other words, don't hesitate to issue correction.

Proverbs 12, 1 says, whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. Now we often take a verse like that and apply it to the person who hates to receive correction, but this also applies to the person who will not issue correction, but love helps one another.

We help one another even in fighting against sin. Galatians 6, 2 says, bear one another's burdens, and this is right after we read, restore him in a spirit of gentleness and keep watch on yourself. To admonish a brother or sister or even to pray for them and be heartbroken over their sin is to bear their burden.

Some of us are going to struggle more than others with temptations of our flesh. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ, the law to love one another. John 13, 34, Jesus said, a new commandment I give to you that you love one another.

Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. And didn't Jesus love us though we had sinned against him? My friends, anyone's betrayal in this body against you or against the whole church, that sin will still never be greater than the sins that we had sinned against God.

And yet we read a glorious verse, I can't quote enough, Romans 5, 8, God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Look here at Galatians 6 verses 3 through 5.

But if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor, for each will have to bear his own load.

Now, this might seem odd. We just read bear one another's burdens, and now we're told each will have to bear his own load. Doesn't this seem to be a contradiction? Might seem to be, but it's not. Bear one another's burdens is a different phrase than bear his own load.

In fact, the phrase bear his own load in the Greek is a phrase that appeared earlier in Galatians 5 .10 when Paul said of a false teacher, the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty whoever he is.

So we're talking about bearing one's own penalty before God. Romans 14 .12 says each of us will give an account to himself, or I'm sorry, each one of us will give an account of himself to God. Do you bear a burden of guilt or have your sins been lifted by Christ?

We have these moments now to bear one another's burdens, for we are not going to be able to bear the burden of someone else before the judgment seat of Christ. So it's not such a big deal that you would have to be corrected for your sin now.

Praise God that someone would love you enough to do that for you now, lest you have to give an account before God on the day of judgment. Consider the statement in verse four. Let each one test his own work.

2 Corinthians 13 .5 says examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves, or do you not realize this about yourselves that Christ is in you unless indeed you fail to meet the test?

So here, let me summarize the principle for you here. You are responsible to warn your brother or sister when they step off the path of righteousness, but you cannot make the decision for them to step back on.

It's the old adage, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. As James had even shared this morning, they will have women in a crisis pregnancy situation come into the crisis pregnancy center.

Some of them will listen to the gospel and others do not. And the best that they can do is just hope that in what they've shared with them, it rests upon their hearts and maybe will come back to mind at another time.

This is a work that God does in the heart of a person. You can't make a person believe. You can't make a person repent. You will be accountable for your obedience and what Christ has commissioned us to do with one another in the faith, but you can't make a person come to faith.

And this is painfully difficult to be in this position, to watch a loved one go astray, to have warned them, to have pleaded with them, and yet they go their own way. Some of you have seen friends wander from the faith or children or a spouse.

All five of my own flesh and blood brothers and sisters have either castigated me for warning them or they've left the faith entirely. So I know how this feels, but you can't make them turn back. And at some point, you have to follow what Jesus said in Matthew 7, 6, to not cast your pearls before swine because your continued pleading to a hardened heart may just harden the heart further.

And they will be even more resistant to the gospel that you know is the only thing that can save them. Once again, keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted. Do not follow them off the path. Proverbs 2, 20, walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous.

Verse 4 here in Galatians 6 goes on to say that the one who tests his own work will boast in himself and not his neighbor. I thought we weren't supposed to boast in ourselves. 2 Corinthians 10, 17 says, let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

And that's precisely the point. If your works have been carried out in God through Christ Jesus, our Lord, your boast over your work will be in Christ working through you. Philippians 2, 13 says, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

God works through you that you may work for him. You can't make someone else do good works, but you can do your own work and you can do it to the glory of God. Galatians 6, 6 says, let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.

Let me summarize what we've read so far. Galatians 6, 1 through 5, look out for your brothers and your sisters. Keep watch on yourself, bear one another's burdens. Don't think too highly of yourself and deceive yourself and test your own work.

Now Paul says, let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. My explanation of this passage may sound somewhat self-serving, but nevertheless, it is for your edification.

Let's say that you witness a brother in the Lord losing his temper. Or let's say you see a sister in Christ who is gossiping and you follow the first step in that instruction that we've been given by Christ to confront them.

Just between the two of you, just one-on-one. You're not making a public case about it. No one else has to know. You have identified a sin and you go between the two of you alone. And Jesus said, if they listen to you, you have gained your brother or gained your sister.

Amen. Mission accomplished. You don't have to go to the next step of getting witnesses involved or even the next step of bringing it in front of the church. There's no reason for this now to become a public exposure.

So now what? Well, according to this verse in Galatians 6 .6, tell your pastor. Go and tell your pastor and say, you have taught us that this is how we are supposed to handle this situation and we follow the instruction of Jesus that you taught us and now we're rejoicing in repentance.

And let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches so that we may rejoice together. Several years ago, I baptized a teenage girl who had come to an awareness of her sin and when she shared with me what it was that she had gone through in her life, I was astounded.

I was astonished at what she had been through, but nevertheless praised God that he would lead her out of that and that she would come to repentance and faith in Christ. And we got baptized here in this church.

No, we got baptized. I baptized her in this church. Just a few weeks ago, her father texted me a picture of her graduating from college. And said that she is walking with the Lord more strongly now than she was even on that day that she was baptized.

And it brought tears to my eyes and I told him that and he said it brought tears to my eyes just to text it to you. My friends, it may feel like all hell is breaking loose underneath you. And when that happens, my door is open and I will pray with you and where needed, I will remind you of the hope and the promises that we've been given in the word of God so that you may find sure footing and be able to stand firm on solid ground in the day of trouble.

But in times when it feels like the floodgates of heaven have opened up and poured out on you, would you do me a favor? And would you share those moments with me too? I will share your tears of sorrow, but boy, I sure want to share your tears of joy as well.

Let the one who has taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. Let me continue to press into this and I, again, I say this not for my own benefit. There is another pastor sitting here, Pastor Dwight.

You have a lay elder brother, Dave. So this is a benefit to them as well. And about half of you will have a different pastor within the next two years as the military moves you on to another location.

So what you are learning here will serve you there also. We also have some visitors here today and so you are welcome to apply this in your own church congregation. Examine the relationship that you have with your pastor.

Are you thankful for him? Are you thankful for your elders? Do you consider these relationships to be a blessing? Or do you not really care what your pastor has to say? If it seems like most of what you say about him or even think about him is critical or just about any time he gives you advice or counsel, you disagree with it, ignore it, or try to go against it, let me ask you this question.

Exactly what benefit is that to you? Hebrews 13, 17 says this, Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Now, one of the benefits of having a plurality eldership here in this church is I have to obey this also. Brother Dave and Brother Dwight are over me and I am accountable to them just as they would consider themselves accountable to me.

So, having a plurality eldership, there are elders that I must submit to and I receive their counsel and their advice with joy. So, we even as elders in this church, as shepherds, those who administer the teachings of Christ to the body of Christ, we want to be an example to the rest of the body as to how we should delight in one another and delight in the teaching that is given to us from the body to which we are committed.

Remember that the Apostle Paul is writing to a church here in Galatians that has lost their grasp on sound doctrine and what has resulted is biting and devouring one another. We read that back in chapter five.

And Paul is trying to bring them back to the glorious truth of the true gospel, explaining to them what the fruit of that gospel will look like. First and foremost, they will love one another, bear one another's burdens.

Included in that command is the relationship that they will also have with the elders of the church. If the elders of the church are preaching false doctrine to the body, they are a burden on the body.

But if the elders of the church are teaching sound doctrine, then what a glorious relief and encouragement that is to come into the body of Christ every Sunday and hear once again the promises of God, a eternal life in Jesus Christ, forgiveness of sins, a kingdom that is to come where there is no more pain, no more suffering, no more dying, no more tears, no more striving with one another.

For the former things have passed away and God dwells with his people. And so Paul encourages the church in sound doctrine from the top down, from the bottom up, all throughout the church that they would rejoice together in the glorious truth.

Do not be a burden on your elders and elders do not be a burden on your church. Rather lighten the load that everyone already has to bear. And do this in this way. Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.

So I tell you every good word that I receive as a pastor is a pat on the back for a job well done, whether or not that has been communicated. It reminds me that this labor is producing something for the kingdom of God.

Let's look now at Galatians 6, 7. Do not be deceived. God is not mocked for whatever one sows that will he also reap. Remember verse one again says, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

Keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted. There are two parts to this. Restore your brother or sister and keep watch on yourself. The apostle Paul is given the explanation of this passage in two parts.

Verses two through five explain the first part to restore one another. Verses seven through nine explain the second part to keep watch on yourself. Verse six is kind of a bridge between the two parts.

It could go either with part one or part two. So let's look at now the second part of this. Keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted. Should you not keep watch on yourself and fall into temptation?

Let me repeat that again. Should you not keep watch on yourself and instead you fall into temptation, do not be deceived and think to yourself, oh, well, God is a gracious God. He's just going to forgive me, right?

After all, he's God and I'm such a likable person. I have such a beautiful face. How could God not love me? And if we think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, then we justify ourselves in whatever sin we would indulge in because we think, hey, I can do this sin and God will just forgive me for it.

After all, the old adage goes, it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission, right? But this is mocking God. You're sinning and daring God to do something about it. Yes, God is gracious. Yes, he does forgive, but you're taking that for granted.

You're taking advantage of it. You are thinking that God owes you something when you believer should stand in fear. He will do something about it. Whatever one sows, that will he also reap for the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption.

But the one who sows to the spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life. In other words, there are consequences for behavior. Maybe God won't destroy you. He's not going to strike you with lightning or cause the earth to open up under your feet and swallow you up for this sin that you've decided to indulge in, but there will still be consequences.

There's always consequences. Maybe this one little sin won't cause a great amount of damage, but you get nothing good from it. You will only reap corruption. Worst case scenario, here's what happens. You do the little thing, nothing happened.

So you do it again and you do it again and you do it again until your heart is hard to it. You don't even really think of it as sin anymore and fear that Romans 1 tells us when that becomes the state of a person, God will turn them over to their own depravity.

Do not flirt with such danger, my fellow Christians. The one who sows to the spirit will reap eternal life. Seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. And here's where I get to do my VBS plug as the children are going to be learning this week.

Our theme verse from Matthew chapter six, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy and thieves cannot break in and steal. The things of the spirit are free from corruption even here in this life.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. And here we've had this passage read to us from Galatians six and we also saw it in 2 Thessalonians chapter three and do not grow weary in doing good.

Paul says in verse nine, for in due season, we will reap if we do not give up. So then as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone and especially to those who are of the household of faith. We have an apple tree outside our house.