ï» back t title page SERIES: THE GREATNESS OF GRACE TITLE: THE EVIDENCE OF SINCERITY TEXT: GALATIANS 6:1-5 Uncmmn Stries and Illus #76 - A new lawyer came t twn. New twn. New ffice. N clients. Once day when he saw that smene was cming t his ffice, he decided t try t impress the persn by shwing hw busy and imprtant he was. S he quickly picked up his phne and said, I m flying t New Yrk n the Timmns case. It lks like a biggie and bring Paul in frm New Jersey n the Pettus case. Als, I may be jining Huch, Staup and Pattn as a partner. Gtta g nw, smene just walked in. With that, he hung up his phne, turned t the man, and said, Nw, hw may I help yu? The man replied, I m here t hk up the phne! This guy wasn t very gd at it, but a lt f peple are gd at ne thing faking it. The prblem with faking spirituality is that eventually yu get fund ut. But an evidence f ur salvatin is sincerity in ur actins and mtives, which is what Paul deals with in these first 5 verses. T many tday try t fake their lve fr thers. A brn-again Christian wh is living fr the Lrd every day, in every way, will have a sincere desire t help and bear the burdens f ther believers. The legalist wanted t add mre burdens t the Christian believers, nt bear the burdens f the brethren.
It shuld be ur heart s desire t help smene all f the time. If we are nt helping smene bear a burden we have becme a burden! If we are sincere in ur faith, then we will be sincere in the fllwing 3 areas: I. METHODS 6:1 a. Methd speaks t the hw. justify the means. i. We live in a day where, the ends pragmatism. this slippery slpe. ii. This is what is knwn as Many churches are walking dwn b. In helping thers, we must make sure we are sincere in ur methds. c. Three characteristics abut a sincere methd: d. #1 Maturity is Evident - Brethren, if a man be vertaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual restre such a ne i. We see here that it is pssible fr a brn-again Christian t fall int sin. 1. Overtaken implies that he was running frm it, but ran ut f steam. 2. When we run frm sin in ur wn strength, we will be vertaken eventually. S, what shuld we d? ii. But, it culd happen t anybdy. 1. Mst Christians say, Well, I knew that wuld happen I knew they weren t sincere in their faith 2. Mst Christians tday wuld rather stmp n a fallen Christian with their ft instead f lending a hand and
pulling them up. the fallen saint. But we have been called t restre 1. We lve fr fallen sinners t walk int ur church but we ften turn ur backs and frsake saints wh have fallen. iv. If ur church is the bdy f Christ, then when a member falls int sin, it is like having a brken bne. 1. Yu dn t ignre it, criticize it, r cndemn it yu fix it! v. Galatians 5:13 Fr, brethren, ye have been called unt liberty; nly use nt liberty fr an ccasin t the flesh, but by lve serve ne anther. 1. Did nt say t serve each ther when it is easy r cnvenient. 2. 1 Peter 4:8 And abve all things have fervent charity amng yurselves: fr charity shall cver the multitude f sins. e. #2 Meekness is the End-gal in the spirit f meekness i. Meekness is pwer in cntrl. ii. We may be right in cndemning a fallen brther but that des nt make it right. 1. EX: I tld yu s Instead f trying t restre a fallen brther, the legalist that infiltrated the Galatian churches wuld cndemn them then try t use the fallen brther t make themselves lk better. 1. I am afraid many think that they are a better Christian when smene else falls.
2. But in actuality, it may shw hw weak we are when there is n ne there t help them back up. f. #3 Meticulus in Everything cnsidering thyself, lest thu als be tempted II. MANDATE 6:2 i. In all that we d, we must cnsider the mtives f ur wn heart. ii. The legalist des nt cnsider himself because he pretends that he culd never sin. But the brn-again believer wh knws Gd well als knws his wn heart well and knws that he is nt immune frm falling int sin. g. Sincere in ur Methd a. Which law are we trying t fulfill? b. What is the law f Christ? i. Jhn 13:34 A new cmmandment I give unt yu, That ye lve ne anther; as I have lved yu, that ye als lve ne anther. ii. Jhn 15:12 This is my cmmandment, That ye lve ne anther, as I have lved yu. c. This speaks t giving everyne a little TLC tender lving care. d. Why mm s are better a healing b-b s then dad s. e. The wrld s mandate is t discard thse that are brken what is Christ s mandate: Matt. 18:15-35 i. While the primary interpretatin is smene wh trespasses against yu, there is an applicatin n hw t restre a fallen brther. ii. The purpse f ging t yur Christian brther r sister in private is nt t win an argument, but t win them back t the Lrd.
III. MOTIVE 6:3-5 f. We have a mandate, r respnsibility, t sincerely help bear the burdens f thse arund us. a. S, yu begin t help a fellw Christian wh has fallen. b. Nw yu must ask yurself, Am I sincere in my mtives in helping them? i. Hw many times have a Christian tld smene else anther Christian s faults, s yu can pray fr them? ii. Remember, the legalist nly wants t make himself lk better by making smene else lk wrse. amngst the family f Gd. There is n place fr cmpetitin c. 6:4 We are t prve ur wrks fr Gd in the light f Gd s will and nt the shadw f anther man s achievements. i. This des nt mean that we shuld nt rejice when fellw believers d smething great fr Gd. ii. It just means that we shuld nt ride the cattails f thers when it cmes t spiritual wrks and helping the fallen. d. 6:5 There is n cntradictin here frm 6:2. here i. Tw different Greek wrds used 1. 6:2 - Bars- Thayer Definitin: heaviness, weight, burden, truble 1. 6:5 phrtin - fr-tee'- n an invice (as part f freight), that is, (figuratively) a task r service: ii. This verse is nt speaking abut
CLOSE: trials and tribulatins, but respnsibilities. respnsibilities. We must all bear ur wn 1. EX: My family, my respnsibility nt the schl, church, gvernment, etc. 2. Everyne tday wants t pass the buck t the next guy. iv. While we shuld help everyne bear the large burdens f this life we each shuld bear ur wn respnsibilities. APP: Tw questins t cnsider: Are yu bearing smene else s burden? Find smene wh is hurting and help them. Are yu bearing yur wn respnsibilities? T Gd, this church, yur family? Take yur respnsibilities serius.