Galatians 6: 1-10 The Ministry of Restoration: It is Our Role.

Bear and Share Burdens

Brethren, if a man is overtaken (caught) in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. ² Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. ³ For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴ But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. ⁵ For each one shall bear his own load.

Be Generous and Do Good

⁶ Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.

⁷ Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. ⁸ For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. ⁹ And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

A Christian’s spirituality is not measured by another Christian’s failures.

A Christian’s spirituality is not measured by another Christian’s works.

The question is not: “am I better than you?”

The test is not: “am I doing more than you are doing?”

6: 4 tells us to test our own actions.

The question is:

“Am I better today than I was yesterday? Last week? Last month? Last year?”

The test is:

“Am I allowing God to do more through me than I did yesterday, last month?”

The test is:

“Do I catch myself rejoicing in another’s failures?”

“Do I catch myself rebuking them for that failure?”

By what evidence can we determine if we are spiritual?

By our attitude towards those Christians who have fallen from fellowship.

By our actions towards those same Christians.

6:2 Paul tells us to carry each others burden. Burden here means intolerable weights placed on someone.

6:5 Paul tells us each one should carry his own load. Load here means everyday responsibilities.

Years ago the papers carried stories about the recovery of valuables from the ship the Titanic you know that unsinkable ship that suck the chandeliers the jewels the channa and a safe were recovered by a company and they were to be restored it’s the same company that restored some of king tut’s treasures recovered valuables from the Titanic will make a worldwide tour someday.

That illustration reminds me of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. He has sought us from the dark depths the shark infested waters of sand and he has restored us and brought us into a right relationship with God. Now He wants us to go on tour around the world and give God the glory for what He has done.

The apostle Paul picks up on this theme of restoration and tells the Christians in the church at Galatia that they are to be in the business of restoring fellow Christians. We see that in verse 1: they are to be restoring other Christians who have fallen away from fellowship with God and with the church because of sins. He is addressing Christians about Christians and yet he calls on you who are spiritual.

What does Paul mean? Is he saying that there are two types of Christians? In other places such as 1 Corinthians, chapters two and three, Paul speaks of carnal Christians and spiritual Christians. He goes into detail to identify a carnal Christian.

A carnal Christian is one who received Christ but who lives in defeat because they trust their own efforts to live the Christian life.

1st Corinthians 3: 1-6:

 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. ² I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; ³ for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

⁴ For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

⁵ Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? ⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

When self is climbed on its own throne and Christ is not allowed to direct the life, then discord and frustration will result.

Galatians 6 Paul is saying to the spiritual Christians:

you need to go and restore the carnal Christians.

I have some questions to ask you this morning:

How do you gauge whether or not you are spiritual?

If you were the readers of this letter in Paul’s day, what would determine if you were spiritual person that he was talking?

If you are to apply this scripture to your life today, how can you determine if you are a spiritual person that can go out and restore others Christians who have fallen away?

We have 481 members on the membership roll of FBC.

98 members are active.

383 are inactive.

How do you gauge whether or not you are spiritual?

Do you have to be a preacher or a Deacon or a teacher? Does it matter how long they are been a Christian? Does it matter how much they’ve given financially? Does it matter how many activities they’re involved in? Does it matter how long they’ve been a member of this church? No, it is not any of these things.

Being spiritual is not measured by another person’s failure!

Too often we judge ourselves to be spiritual when we see others struggling and stumbling. Admit it is true!

Deep down you get a warm glow inside when you hear about it! Admit it it’s true! We take refuge in the failure of others we judge

our spirituality by the failure of others but our spirituality can’t be measured by the failures of others.

I will also tell you our spirituality cannot be measured by the works of others

we looked around and maybe see no one failing and maybe they are doing some things for God but then we look around and think that we’re doing even more things for God than they are does that make us more spiritual? No! Our spirituality cannot be measured by the works of others.

OK then preacher: tell me what is the proper test of a person’s spirituality.

The measurement of my spirituality is not in you!

The measurement of my spirituality is in me! First forward says I am to test my own actions.

The question is not am I better than you? The question is:

Am I better than I was yesterday last week last month last year?

Am I more like Jesus today than I was yesterday?

Is more of my life under His lordship today than it was yesterday last week last year?

I wish the test was:

Am I better than someone else?

If I am being a carnal Christian, I can always look around and find someone whose life is more out of fellowship with God than mine.

I wish I could say: Lord if you allow me to prove it, I’ll find somebody else who hasn’t done as much, given as much, etc.

But the Lord says: “No Joe! that won’t go!”

The Lord says: “I’m not interested in you being better than old so and so.”

I’m interested in you being better than you are!

God could say to me:

You could have prayed more than you did.

You could have witnessed more than you did.

You could have given more than you did.

You could have studied more than you did.

You could have loved more than you did.

So, Joe, are you better than you were: that’s the proper test.

So, I have to ask myself if there has been any progress spiritually in my life?

Has there been a journey, a walk with Jesus Christ?

Look at Galatians chapter 5: 25-26:

²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

When Paul talks using the word WALK, he is using a military term here from marching in line, marching in step, staying within the ranks.

And then in chapter six he says something happens while marching in line, while walking with Jesus, somehow some way a person can be overtaken in a fault.

The word for overtaken means surprise suddenly a slip unintentional movement a casual drifting until suddenly falling off the trail without ever knowing it was coming.

The Holy Spirit is saying through Paul that if you our person who is overtaken you should not be rebuked by Christians we should not rejoice in their troubles.

What is the measure of a man’s spirituality?

It the attitude and action towards that fallen Christian.

That’s how you measure your spirituality.

You show your spirituality by your attitude toward one whose falling.

Our reaction to another’s action yes the test!

And as a person studies the life of Jesus they will discover that when Jesus saw people that were in the grips of sin, Jesus was not move to temper, but rather he was moved to tears.

But you will also discover something else about yourself when you are more eagerly moved to temper over the backsliding and sinfulness of people then you are moved to tears then something is terribly wrong with you.

For God convicts our hearts that the spiritual person should not be moved to temper but two tiers. To restoring period to returning one to the fellowship.

But Paul writes something also about burden bearing. We are to carry our own burdens but we are to also carry the burdens of others.

There are some things we can do by ourselves and some things we can’t do by ourselves.

The word for BURDEN in v. 2 is different from the word of v. 5.

Verse 2 indicates an intolerable burden: one that’s too heavy for one person to bear. Verse 5 indicates a common ordinary burden and every day requirement.

Verse 1 Paul uses the word we translate “RESTORE.”

The word restore was a medical term used for setting a dislocated arm.

Paul is giving us a biblical principle of restoration of any fallen Christian:

there are 4 characteristics of a dislocated arm that parallel a fallen Christian:

1 the arm is still a member of the body.

2 the arm brings pain to the entire body.

3 the arm cannot obey the message received from the head.

4 the longer the arm is out of joint, the harder it is to put back the arm in its

proper place.

Three essential qualities needed by the spiritual Christian to restore someone:

1 gentleness or meekness v.1

2 humility v.1

3 consistency v.1

“Restore” is used here as a continuous action meaning more than one prayer more than one visit, it is

more like a lifetime of caring for others.