WWUTT 1793 Bear One Another’s Burdens, Part 2 (Galatians 6:1-10)

The Bible tells us to show charity to everyone, especially those of the household of faith.

So we care for members in our own church first, and then as we have opportunity, we show charity to others, when we understand the text.

This is when we understand the text, studying God's word to reach all the riches of full assurance in Christ.

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Pastor Gabe Hughes. Thank you, Becky. We come back to our study in the book of Galatians. We're in chapter 6, verses 1 through 10.

Let me begin by reading this passage once again, and then we'll continue on with the lesson. This is the word of the

Lord through the Apostle Paul, writing to the churches in Galatia. Brothers, even if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, each of you looking to yourself so that you too will not be tempted.

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.

For each one will bear his own load. And the one who is instructed in the word is to share in all good things with the one who instructs him.

Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, this he will 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. And let us not lose heart in doing good.

For in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Here is part 2 of the message entitled, Bear One Another's Burdens. Look here at Galatians 6 verses 3 -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 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 4, 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.

We got baptized here in this church. 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?

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 is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.

Let me continue to press into this and again, I say this not for my own benefit. There is another pastor sitting here,

Pastor Dwight, and 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 5. 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, 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 1 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 2 -5 explain the first part to restore one another.

Verses 7 -9 explain the second part to keep watch on yourself. Verse 6 is kind of a bridge between the two parts.

It could go either with part 1 or part 2. 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, if I could,

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.

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. 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 6, 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 6, and we also saw it in 2

Thessalonians 3, and do not grow weary in doing good.

Paul says in verse 9, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up, so that 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. It's that tree that you see whenever you drive by our house.

It's right there next to the mailbox. That tree has never produced a good apple. They're always gross every year, and right now it's got some sort of a blight, and the leaves are even dying on it.

A year ago, Aaron Dunn helped us cut some dead limbs off of it, and we thought that would help it, and we get rid of the infected parts, and maybe the tree would give some life, but really doesn't seem to be any hope in recovering it.

The tree so far seems to be a lost cause, and I complain about it every year, but here's the thing, ladies and gentlemen.

I've never put any work into that tree other than Aaron coming by and cutting some limbs off.

That's the most work that we've done on that tree in five years. Why does it not produce good fruit?

Because I don't work at it. I don't do anything. I'm not preparing it when it's in a colder season for the spring to come, and then when it comes springtime,

I'm not checking on it, making sure the mites aren't eating the blossoms or the possums aren't getting in the tree or whatnot.

All I do is I just stand there and complain, why is my tree not producing fruit? And some of us may feel that way about ourselves.

Why am I not getting over this? Why am I not able to get rid of this sin?

Why am I still repeating the same things over and over again? How much work are you really putting into it? You just automatically think it's going to stop?

Or maybe you look around the body of Christ, the church that you're a part of, and you look at people and you go, what's wrong with that person?

Why do they still continue in that sin? Why doesn't Gabe and the elders do something about that?

Have you ever put any work into their sanctification? If we want to see fruit from our church, it takes work from the whole church doing it.

And the Bible promises us not to grow weary in that work. Don't get frustrated.

When you've warned a brother for the thousandth time, and he still seems to be falling into the same thing, don't grow weary in doing good.

As Jesus said to his disciples, you forgive not seven times, not 70 times, but 70 times seven.

In other words, don't keep track. Let forgiveness be the rhythm of this body.

That we might show grace and love to one another and therefore not fall into a pattern of appeasing the works of our flesh, but we desire to produce the fruit of the spirit.

All of the instructions that we've been concerning ourselves with here have been for the whole church.

Bear one another's burdens. This is an instruction for the church. How brothers and sisters in the

Lord show love to one another. It is not going to be the same way that we show our concern for the world.

So we have this statement. So then as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone.

And especially to those who are of the household of faith. We are to care first and foremost for each other.

Just like, for example, when you get paid, where does that money go first? You get paid and just start handing it out to people?

Well, maybe you think so. If the kids are demanding, Ted's nodding his head. Yep, everybody's asking me for money.

You go to your family first. You take care of your family with that money. And then whatever is left after the moths fly out of the wallet, then you might apply to a hobby or going out to eat.

You of course should give to your church or the pregnancy care center or give to your kids to drop into the offering this week for VBS.

We are first and foremost to care for one another. Whatever else that we have then gets invested in other areas.

We have been called to show love to everyone. We care first for the body, which is our family.

That's our primary concern. Bearing one another's burdens that we may fulfill the law of Christ.

And then may the rest of the world witness the love that we have for each other.

And that will be a testament that the gospel of Christ that we proclaim is not just something that we say with our mouths.

It's something that we live with our lives with one another. You've been listening to When We Understand the

Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Gabe will be going through a New Testament study.

Then on Thursday, we look at an Old Testament book. On Friday, we take questions from the listeners and viewers.