Galatians 6:1

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual should restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then he shall have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden.

Father, nothing compares to the promise that we have in You, as we just sang. The promise that, here at this moment, standing on this Sunday morning, we don't even fully comprehend. The promise of eternity with You. The promise of salvation, redemption, and the forgiveness of sins. Lord, we know in part, and then shall we know even as we are known. We look forward to that day.

Lord, as we are here to hear from You, we pray that You, by Your Spirit, would speak to us today. That You'd continue to teach and instruct us as we consider the practical nature of the doctrine that we've been learning in the book of Galatians. Transform not only our hearts and our minds, but our lives—the way that we interact with one another, we pray in Jesus' name. And all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

Paul was writing a letter to a church that had received bad doctrine—not from him. Of course, he planted these four churches in the region of Galatia, and when he was there, he taught them good doctrine, sound doctrine, although he was only with them for a very short period of time. After he had left, a group of false teachers came in and confused the church.

He writes this letter to them, and as we've seen in the first five chapters of the letter to the Galatians, Paul has been laying out very clearly sound doctrine. When we come to chapter 6, we move from orthodoxy, that is, having the right opinion or the right doctrine, to orthopraxy, which is having the right practice, the right action, and activity in our lives.

It is important that in all areas, our Christianity leaves the place of theory and moves into the place of reality. It has to become an active part of our lives. It cannot just be something that we memorize when we memorize verses or even something that we ponder from time to time. It must become the practice of our lives. For as Jesus said, they will know that you are my disciples by your love. We have been considering this as a practical demonstration of love. Jesus is the one who demonstrated God's love towards us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, as Romans chapter 5, verse 8 says.

When we come to Galatians chapter 6, we find love really practiced—the practicality of love. I don't know about you, but I love when things become very practical and real. I have a hard time with just theoretical concepts; I want to see them played out. That's why, for me, I had a very hard time with algebra in high school. I asked my teachers over and over again, "When will I ever use this?" Can anybody else relate? Now, some of the engineers here will say, "I use it every day." That's great, but I don't. To me, X is just a letter, and it will always be a letter. I want to be able to see it worked out; that's the way my mind works.

So when we come here, Paul says in verse 1, "Brethren, if any man be overtaken in a fault, you which are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted." That very first word in verse 1 is very important: "Brethren." He is speaking to the church, to believers, followers of Christ.

You see, the world often revels in the faults, the failures, and the failings of others. It even becomes front-page news for weeks or months, or sometimes it is attached to an individual for their entire life—the mistakes they have made, the wrongs, especially if they are a celebrity and out in the open.

It was Friday afternoon when I was driving somewhere, and I had the radio on. There was a report about Tiger Woods having a car accident, and then there was news that Tiger Woods was in the hospital in critical condition. Of course, that was not really the case. Then it turns out every news agency was reporting that Tiger Woods was having an affair, that his wife beat him up, and that he ran. This is all you are going to hear about for weeks—front-page news. Now, when you go to the checkout aisle this next week, there will probably be pictures of Tiger Woods and some picture of his wife looking at him mean or something.

That's all it will be. But we, as human beings in our nature, in our sinful, carnal nature, love the failings of other people. When we consider it, when we think about it, it's a defense mechanism. It's a way for us to appease our own guilty conscience. We recognize that we are wrong, that we are wicked. We understand that we have done things that are wrong. Because we have that guilt, a sinner often justifies or even hides their sin while vilifying somebody else and pointing out someone else's sin.

We are very good at pointing out the failures of others, yet we have a hard time seeing our own failures. I would be the first to admit this. There are many times when I'm having a discussion with my wife, and she'll tell me later that it was really rude when I said such and such. I often respond, "I didn't say that," or "I wasn't being rude." We have a hard time seeing our own faults, don't we? Can anybody attest to that? Thank you. I appreciate that I'm not the only one.

The sinner justifies his own hidden sin by burying it deeper and vilifying another sinner who has been exposed, pointing it out. As Christians, our reaction ought to be different. When someone fails or is overtaken in a trespass or a sin, we are told that we should restore them rather than reject them. We are to seek them out rather than shun them.

However, the sad fact is that, as we look at Christian history, especially the history of Christianity in America, American Christianity has oftentimes been identified by those who have shunned the sinner, the person within their ranks who has done wrong. We all have sinned; we have all fallen short of the glory of God. In some twisted way, it makes us feel better when we see the errors of someone else because then it is exposed, and it somehow takes the focus off of us. But that is carnal.

Paul says, "You who are spiritual." I love the way he frames that. You who are spiritual. Every single one of us would want to say today, "I'm spiritual. I read my Bible, I pray, I tithe, I go to church. I'm spiritual." But that's not the context. That's not what he means when he talks about being spiritual. In my mind, and I'm sure in many of yours as well, when we hear the term "spiritual" applied...

To an individual, we think of someone who has a very pious form of life. However, the context tells us something different. Just a few verses before this, in Galatians chapter 5, verse 22, it says, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such, there is no law." A person who is spiritual is someone who shows forth the fruit of the Spirit in their life. It's not just about piety; it's about the character their life displays—the fruit of the Spirit.

He says, "You who have the fruit of the Spirit, you who are Christ's and are filled with the Spirit, living and walking in the Spirit, are to restore that person who is overtaken in a fault." The word "fault" could also be translated, and is in the New King James Version, as "trespass." In some other passages of the Bible, this Greek word is translated as "offense." So, if anyone is overtaken in a trespass, the Bible speaks of sin in different forms: iniquity, transgression, sin, and trespass.

In Exodus chapter 34, it tells us that God, our God, is able to forgive iniquity, transgression, and sin of every kind. How many of you are thankful for that today? Sin of every kind! We could delve into a discussion about iniquity, transgression, sin, and trespass and explain what they all are, but today we don't have a lot of time for that. All will suffice to say that God is able to forgive all kinds of sin. Sadly, the church has often revealed its lack of ability to do so—its lack of ability to forgive iniquity, transgression, and sin.

The idea of a trespass is something we understand. Perhaps you've been on a walk before, out on a hike somewhere, enjoying nature, and you come around a bend to find someone standing there saying, "You're on my property. This is private property. Get off." You didn't see any sign and didn't recognize it. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize." "Well, you need to leave." "Okay, I'll leave." You've trespassed. You didn't transgress in the sense that you intended to do it. You didn't see the sign and think, "I'm going to do it because I want to." You simply found yourself in a place you shouldn't have been.

I have found, and you probably are finding this as well, that the more I walk with the Lord, the closer I draw near to the Lord.

The more I see, the more I realize there are areas of my life that are truly a trespass. I never saw it before, but it has been brought to light. There are those, maybe even in this room today, in a group gathered this large, who have been overtaken in a trespass. You may have found yourself fallen.

In the world, the mindset is that if you've fallen, you should be kicked to the side; you have to figure it out on your own. But in Christ, it is completely different. We who are filled with the Spirit possess the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, kindness, long-suffering, goodness, and self-control. We who have this kind of love are told to restore such a one. The word "restore" means to amend, to make whole, to complete. For the one who has been broken and has fallen down, we are called by God, in love, to come alongside them and seek to restore them.

Now, this restoration does not mean that we simply gloss over or cover their sin and try to hide it. Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 5 that there are some whose sin needs to be openly rebuked before all, that the rest might fear. There are those who have sinned and fallen, and while we want to restore them, we must openly say, "This is sin, this is iniquity, this is wrong, and God has called you to repentance."

Our God, Jesus, is the one who told the story in the Gospel of Matthew, specifically in Matthew 18, about the shepherd who will leave the ninety-nine to go after the one that has gone astray. How many of you here today were that one who had gone astray, and Christ came and found you where you were? Many of us can relate. God has called us to the same kind of life.

Jesus said in Matthew chapter 9, verse 13, "I have come to call sinners to repentance." There are those who are overtaken in a trespass, and we recognize that this person is a sinner just like all of us, but their sin has been exposed. The temptation, stemming from our carnal nature, is to push them aside and say, "I don't want anything to do with you." This was the mindset of the Pharisees. Because of their religion, they wanted nothing to do with the sinners of their day: the tax collectors, the harlots, the drunkards. They believed that if you came near them in that way, you would dirty or defile them.

They thought, "I'm over you; I'm better than you, so leave me alone." Yet, we are called to restore that person. The attitude with which we go about restoring them is also important.

Look at this. Galatians 6, verse 1 states that we should restore others in a spirit of meekness. Remember, in verse 23 of chapter 5, meekness is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit. As we walk in the Spirit and our lives demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit, we are to restore a brother or sister in Christ with gentleness. We should not approach them condescendingly, saying, "I'm so sorry you fell. It looks like you skinned your knee. Can I offer some help?" Instead, we should come with a spirit of gentleness and meekness, considering ourselves, as Paul instructs, lest we also be tempted.

In my life and ministry, I have found that almost without fail, when I counsel someone or teach the Scriptures, I am tested and tempted in those very areas shortly after. Anyone who has taught the Word or been in a counseling situation can nod in agreement because the Scripture is true. 1 Corinthians 10, verse 12 warns us to take heed when we think we stand, lest we fall. We often have a tendency to focus on the failings of others. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 10, shines a light on the failings of the nation of Israel and reminds the church to be cautious. He says, "Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall," because no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. We all go through temptations, and we all find that we fail. There is not a day that goes by without some failure in what God has called us to do.

When someone around us falls in the race, we must remember that we are all running a race together. The Scriptures say in Hebrews chapter 12 that we should lay aside every weight and sin that so easily besets us and run with endurance the race set before us. In this race, we see brothers and sisters running in the same direction, and when they fall by the wayside, the mindset of the world might be, "Good, there's one less person I have to compete against." However, in Christ, that is not the way. We are all essentially on the same team, running together this race unto the Lord. When we see someone fall, we should view them as a teammate, not just a competitor.

A family member, a brother or a sister, has fallen by the wayside, and we're called to restore them, to show love in a very practical way. This is what the Levite and the priest in the story of the Good Samaritan did not do; they refused to show love to the one who was overtaken on the side of the road.

So, brethren, if a man is overtaken in a trespass, you who are spiritual, you who have the fruit of the Spirit, restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. In verse 2, we are told what it looks like to practically love another person. We are instructed to bear one another's burdens. This means to take up with our hands, to carry, to uphold, and to sustain another person's burdens. The word "burden" refers to a weight, a trouble, something that causes them to fall. They have buckled under the pressure of it, and we are called to come alongside and carry that burden for them.

There is a beautiful picture of this in the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus, our Lord, is carrying the cross on His way to Calvary. As He does, He buckles under the weight of the physical wood cross. One of the centurions, one of the Roman guards, grabs a man from the crowd, Simon of Cyrene, and says, "Here, you carry His cross." Simon literally comes and takes up the burden that Christ was carrying. However, he only did so on a physical level; he did not take up the spiritual burden that Jesus was carrying.

You and I cannot release the spiritual burden that a person carries, but we can come alongside and aid them in their walk with the Lord, perhaps in a physical and very tangible way, just as Simon of Cyrene did that day. In another beautiful picture, Jesus, our Lord, carried our sin to Calvary. That which we could not bear, He took upon Himself. He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might receive His righteousness.

So we have Jesus as an example; we have Jesus as our motivation in loving someone in a practical way. Notice what He says: if we bear another person's burden, that which is hindering them and weighing them down, we fulfill the law of Christ.

What is the law of Christ? Well, turn in your Bibles to John chapter 15. The Gospel of John chapter 15 is that great chapter wherein Jesus says, "I am the vine, and you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit." Further on down in chapter 15, in verse 12, Jesus, speaking to his disciples, says, "This is my commandment, that you love one another," and then he adds, "as I have loved you." This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, than that a man would lay down his life for his friends.

In the very next verse, verse 13, Jesus reiterates this commandment: "This is the commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." God demonstrated his love towards us in Romans 5:8, which states, "In that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." The prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah chapter 53, verse 6, said, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid upon him the iniquity of us all." He bore our sin, the sin-bearing Savior, revealed 700 years before he came to do so in Isaiah chapter 53. It is a beautiful passage of Scripture.

Last week, we looked at 1 Corinthians chapter 13, where Paul gives us a real good working definition of love, specifically the Greek word "agape." He says in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, verse 6, "Rejoice not in iniquity, but rejoice in the truth." It is the way of the world, the way of the non-believer, the way of the one who is not filled with the Spirit of God, to rejoice in iniquity. They take joy when someone fails or falls by the wayside. But not in Christ. When we are filled with the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, we are to rejoice not in iniquity.

It was said of Jesus, prophesied in the book of Isaiah, and then reiterated in the book of Matthew, in Matthew chapter 12, that Jesus was the Messiah. If he found a bruised reed...

He would not break it, and found a smoking flax; he would not quench it. Whereas it is the mindset of the world, under the sway of the wicked one, to kick the one who's down and to cast aside the one who's failed, Jesus is the sin-bearing Savior, the one full of grace and mercy. He will not break that bruised reed, and he will not quench that smoking flax. Instead, he comes alongside and binds up that which is broken. He breathes upon the coal to make the fire ignite once again.

Paul continues in Galatians chapter 6, verse 3. He says, "For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself." I believe that Paul was speaking both to the individual overtaken in a trespass and to the one called upon to bear the burden when he says, "If any man thinks himself to be something when he's nothing, he deceives himself."

What hinders us from right thinking and correct acting out of Christian love? I believe that the number one thing that hinders us from correctly loving people as God has called us to is pride. If anyone thinks himself to be something when he's nothing, it is pride that refuses to reach out to the individual in need, like the Levite and the priest in the story of the Good Samaritan. It is pride that says, "There's no way that I will associate myself with that wretched, wicked person," as the religious Pharisees would look at the tax collectors and the sinners and say, "We want nothing to do with them."

It is pride that says, "They got themselves into this mess; they've got to get themselves out of it." They refuse to help. But it is also pride that says, "When one has fallen down, I don't need your help. I don't need your charity. Get away from me. Leave me alone."

So, if anyone thinks himself to be something when he's nothing, the fact is that every single one of us really is nothing. It is hard for us to admit that, especially in a society and culture where we're constantly told from birth to grave that "you're something, you're something, you're something." It is fine to come alongside someone who is in despair and down and out and encourage them of their worth. However, we find our worth not in the intrinsic value of who we are, but in God who is in us. The Scriptures say, "The heart of man is desperately wicked."

In Jeremiah chapter 17, verse 9, the world that we live in says, "You are good. You deserve it. You're perfect." That's not what the Scriptures say. The problem is that in a nation like ours, where we're constantly telling everybody from birth to the grave that they're good, they deserve it, and they're perfect, the reality is that they are lost sinners. They continue on their way to hell, feeling really good about their sin.

Well, I guess I'm just a liar. That's just the way I am. But I'm a good liar. Maybe I should be a politician. We prop people up and say, "It's okay that you are this way," even though it's sinful before God. We just kind of pat them on the back on their road to hell, but they have a good attitude about it. We are nothing.

We live in a world that is focused, especially in our culture here in America, on posturing, positioning, and segregating ourselves into superior and inferior groups. I don't associate with that group because they don't look like me. I don't associate with that group because they don't talk like me. They don't drive the same car as I do, and they don't have the same socioeconomic class that I have. But this, in and of itself, is carnal. The Scriptures say it's a fleshly tendency for us to segregate ourselves into those kinds of groups.

There has been a lot of talk in our nation for many years, but especially in the last couple of years, about race reconciliation. There is no such thing as race reconciliation apart from Christ because He breaks down all those barriers. He is the one who breaks down the barrier between Jew and Gentile, between slave and free. He does away with this.

Look around this room today. Apart from Christ, you probably would never identify with the group of people sitting next to you in this room. It's true. I'll never forget the day I was driving down the street with Eric when we were both doing youth ministry together. He was under me in the youth ministry, and I don't remember how many years older he is. He probably doesn't want me to tell you anyway.

He said, "Apart from Jesus, we would never be friends." It's true. I didn't take it as a mean thing. I thought, "Yeah, that's true. We'd probably never be friends." But in Christ, God breaks down those middle walls.

Of separation, and sadly, we have a tendency to try and build them back up, even within the church. Paul addressed this when he wrote to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 3:3. He says, "For are you not carnal? Are you not fleshly? For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are you not carnal and walk as just men? For while one says, 'I'm of Paul' and another, 'I'm of Apollos,' are you not yet carnal in this?"

See, even within the church, we have a tendency to put up those lines and demarcations and say, "Well, I'm of this group and I'm of that group. I'm of John Calvin and I'm of Arminius." It's foolishness, and we're building the walls that God in Christ tore down. It is a self-deception. If any man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. It is pride and arrogance that says, "I'm above that," or "I don't need help," or to say, "Well, you know, that's just beneath me. I will not stoop to help." In reality, such thinking is not reality at all; it's foolishness.

Paul told the church at Rome in Romans 10:12, "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him." See, God is not a respecter of persons. However, He knows that we, in our flesh, are. But God transforms this in us. That is why He says, "If any man is overtaken in a fault, you that are spiritual restore such a one; bear one another's burdens." It doesn't say, "Bear this group of people's burdens and no, don't so much go around that group of people." He says, "Bear one another's burdens, and you will fulfill the law of Christ."

If you think yourself to be something when you're nothing, you deceive yourself. But let every man, as stated in verse 4, prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another. Let every man prove or examine his own work. Reach over in your neighbor's Bible and circle the word "own." His own work.

Paul told the church at Philippi in Philippians 2:13, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." You see, out of pride, we are very good at examining the works of others. We are very, very good.

It's actually really not hard, but we're very good at seeing the faults of our neighbors, the person sitting next to us, and our spouse. In our carnal nature, we love to examine the works of others. Paul would tell the church at Corinth, just a few pages to the left of Galatians chapter 6, to go to 2 Corinthians chapter 13, the last chapter of 2 Corinthians.

In 2 Corinthians 13, verse 5, Paul says, "Examine yourselves to see whether you be in the faith. Prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobates?" Examine yourselves. Prove your own selves. I want to say that it was Plato who said the self-examined life is not worth living. He obviously did not know the Scriptures; he was a little prior to Paul. However, he understood that the self-examined life was important. Paul would say, "Listen, examine yourselves to see if you be in the faith."

Do you exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in your life? You probably have no problem saying, "Well, my wife doesn't exhibit the fruit of the Spirit when she's yelling at me," or "My husband doesn't exhibit the fruit of the Spirit when he's cutting that person off on the freeway." We have no problem doing that, but can we see it in ourselves? A lot of times, we see it in others because it's actually something that is in us. They are mirroring it back to us, and Paul would say, "Examine yourselves."

It takes very little examination to find fault in others and to see their wrongs. It's our sinful flesh that rejoices in those things when we find them because, again, it's a defense mechanism. We see that they are quick-tempered, mean, and do not exhibit love, which makes our lack of love less offensive to ourselves.

Let every man examine his own work. When you do this, when you examine your own work before God and you're working before Him only, as Paul would tell the church at Colossae, you are truly engaging in self-examination.

For Him, at that point, we'll have rejoicing in ourselves alone, for every man shall bear his own burden. Now, that's kind of interesting, and to some people, they see it as an apparent contradiction. In verse 2 of chapter 6, Paul said, "Bear ye one another's burdens," and now in verse 5, he said, "For every man shall bear his own burden." It seems like Paul has some issues here, bouncing around as if he doesn't know what he's saying, but that's not the case.

The English translation of our Bibles breaks down, but the Greek says it very clearly. The word "burden" in verse 2 is different from the word "burden" in verse 5. The word "burden" in verse 2 speaks of a trouble or a heaviness, or that which causes someone to fall. The word "burden" in verse 5 is actually your own weight or your own load, like the backpack that God has given you to carry. We stand or fall before God alone, not before others. This burden is our load; it's our freight.

The idea here is that we are called by God to be responsible for our own work and not the work of our brother or sister. We are working out our own salvation with fear and trembling; we are not working out their salvation. This is very hard for parents with their children. You raise your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, and then they go off and do their own thing when they become teenagers. You want to work out their salvation for them, but you can't. Most of us have a hard enough time working out our own.

So, bear your own burden, this load that you have. Work out your own salvation. Don't be what the Scriptures call a busybody, meddling in everybody else's affairs. Coming alongside them all the time and saying, "Well, you know, that is sin; you need to stop doing that." Perhaps you have the same sin and you're struggling with it, but you refuse to recognize it because you refuse to examine your own life, fearful of what you might find.

That's why men love darkness, because their deeds are evil. They want to hide their sin. We want no one else to see it; we don't want to be exposed. I will go to extreme lengths to not be embarrassed. Can anybody else relate with me?

We go to extreme lengths to avoid doing or saying something stupid that people will laugh at. We want to hide it as much as possible. We don't want to be exposed, and we're fearful. We don't want to come to the light.

Now, the awesome thing is in 1 John 1:7, it says, "As we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another." You see, when we're willing to be vulnerable in that area around our brothers and sisters, it opens up a new kind of fellowship that we would never experience in the world. We have fellowship with one another, and it says in 1 John 1:7, "The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin."

The neat thing is that when we are in community with one another, with our brothers and sisters, perhaps our failings and falterings will be exposed, but we find that there, God's blood is greater. He cleanses us from all sin, and when we sin, we confess our sins, and He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us.

Every man shall bear his own load. In verse 6, it says, "Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teaches in all good things." Be not deceived; God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. For he that sows to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially those of the household of faith.

The principle of sowing and reaping revealed here in Galatians chapter 6 is not a new one in Scripture. It's something we see quite a bit in the Bible, and it's something that we really understand without much explanation. If you plant apple seeds, you get apples. Unless you're a gardener like me, who kills everything. You plant an apple tree, you get apples. You plant orange seeds, you get oranges. You plant seeds for corn, you get corn. It's just the way that God created it.

This principle is probably one of the best death blows to evolution. In Genesis chapter 1 and Genesis chapter 2, God created everything to reproduce after its own kind, and it still does. The idea is easy for us to grasp; even the littlest child can understand the principle of sowing and reaping. But there's a spiritual application that Paul reveals here. If you sow...

If you plant things of the flesh, things of this world into your life, then of the flesh you shall reap corruption and destruction, he says. We already saw the works of the flesh in Galatians chapter 5, verses 19 through 21. That's what will be produced; that's the bad fruit that comes forth as you invest in your life or pour into your life things of this world, fleshly things. If you entertain yourself with the fleshly things of this world, you're going to have fleshly thoughts. You're going to react in fleshly ways. You're going to react in outbursts of anger toward your family members and friends.

The spiritual context is not just negative; we also see it in the positive. If you sow to the Spirit, you shall of the Spirit reap everlasting life. The principle is clear, but the context of the passage is really interesting because that's not what Paul is primarily talking about.

Look at verse 6: "Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teaches in all good things." The principle here that Paul is seeking to illustrate with the idea of sowing and reaping is that the one who is taught the Word of God ought to share practical support with those who are teaching the Word of God. In so doing, they will reap something, as he is going to show.

The word "communicate" or "share" in verse 6 is the Greek word "koinoneo." It means to fellowship or to partner with. Paul is saying that the one who teaches the Word of God is in partnership with those who are being taught the Word of God. The one teaching the Word of God is imparting spiritual seed, and those being taught are supporting those teaching in practical ways, financially and so forth.

Now, lest you think that I'm stretching this, look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9, verse 11. In 1 Corinthians 9, verse 9, Paul states, "For it is written in the law of Moses that you shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox as he treads out the corn." Does God take care of oxen? The answer, of course, would be yes.

Or saith he it all together for our sakes? Is he just talking about feeding oxen, or is he saying this for a spiritual application for our sake?

Verse 10 states, "For our sakes, no doubt, this is written that he that plows should plow in hope, and he that threshes in hope should be partaker of this hope." If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap of your earthly things or your carnal things? He says very similar things in 2 Corinthians 9, beginning in verse 6.

Another very practical principle is presented: "But I say unto you, he that sows sparingly shall also reap." And he that sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Again, this is easy to understand, and it seems like Paul would just be talking about farming here. He's not. We'll get into that in a moment.

He explains that if you buy a hundred seeds for planting wheat and you go and plant ten of those, you're sowing sparingly, and you're going to reap sparingly. If you buy a hundred of them and you go and scatter your seed and plant all, then you're sowing bountifully, and you'll reap bountifully.

Now, if you sow sparingly and have a very small harvest, and you look at your neighbor who has a great harvest and say, "Well, that's just not fair," it would be foolish because you sowed sparingly while he sowed bountifully. Paul emphasizes that this is a very clear principle of farming: you sow sparingly, you reap sparingly; you sow bountifully, you reap bountifully.

In verse 7, he states, "Every man according as he prospers in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver." Here’s Paul's application of this principle. He says that we are to give according to what we have. If you've prospered more than the person sitting next to you, then according to how you have prospered, you should give.

He advises against giving grudgingly or with a sense of obligation, saying, "I can't believe the church is doing this again." Don't worry; we're not going to pass the plates a second time. He emphasizes not giving grudgingly.

Nor out of necessity, nor of constraint, we're not going to be up here twisting your arm and saying, "Do you think you want to give a little bit more?" That's not what we would do. The scripture says no. But God loves a cheerful giver. The idea is that God loves a hilarious giver, one who can give with joy. If you have a hard time giving with joy, in fact, if you gave today and as the plate passed, you thought, "Oh, I can't believe it," well, you know what? God doesn't honor it. He doesn't want it. In fact, He honors that gift just about as much as He honored Cain's offering in Genesis chapter 4. He doesn't want it; it's not righteous to Him.

Listen, God doesn't have us give because He wants money. He's not trying to grow His bank accounts; He's trying to grow children. God is the great giver. The most translated verse of the Bible, John chapter 3, verse 16, says, "For God so loved the world that He gave." God is not interested in money. He's not looking to have big coffers of money and banks all throughout the world. He doesn't really care about silver and gold. In fact, the scriptures say all the silver and gold is His anyway. He created it; He owns it. So, He's not interested in money, but He knows that we are.

You see, man in his carnal nature is focused upon treasure and wealth. He will expend his entire life and all the energy that he has to try and get more wealth. Since God knows that this is our carnal leaning, our carnal nature, He seeks to transform us. He is growing children, calling us to give. God loves a cheerful giver.

In 2 Corinthians 9:8, it says, "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you always having all sufficiency in all things may abound in every good work." Now notice what Paul says: if you give, if you sow abundantly, then God will return to you. This is a dangerous teaching. There have been false teachers that have come masquerading themselves on TV and throughout our nation and many other places, saying, "If you give $10, God will give you a hundredfold." They encourage you to give to this ministry with promises of great returns.

Passages like this are often used to prove certain teachings, but they are frequently misread and applied in a carnal way. What Paul actually says is that as we give unto the Kingdom of God, He will be able to make all grace abound to us. It does not say He will make all money abound to you, although I have heard some teachers claim such things. Instead, He will make all grace abound to you so that you can sufficiently do every good work and abound in good works. Paul emphasizes that as you invest in the Kingdom, God is investing in you in a totally different way, and there are dividends that are reaped from it.

So, when, how, and why are we supposed to give? Let's look at 1 Corinthians chapter 16. I love how clear God's Word is because in these verses, we will see when we ought to give, who ought to give, how we ought to give, what we ought to give, and why we ought to give—all in just two verses. Actually, it's just one verse, but we'll start in verse 1. Paul says, "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, I do so unto you as well."

Now he answers these five questions. When should we give? Upon the first day of the week, Paul says. You can give anytime you want, but Paul specifies a time: the first day of the week, which is Sunday. This was the day that the early church generally gathered together in the city of Corinth.

Who should give? Paul states that let every one of you give. How should we give? We should lay up for ourselves in store, which means we should plan to give and come prepared to give. What should we give? As God has prospered us. God does not provide a set amount; He does not say, "I want you to give this much every single week" in a blanket statement for the whole church. Instead, He says, "As God has prospered you, let him give."

Why should we give? So that there be no gatherings when I come and that there be no lack. We see that we are to give at a set time, that every one of us is to give, that we should plan to give, and that we should give out of our abundance so that there is nothing lacking.

The scripture is clear. Paul is saying very much the same things to the church at Galatia here in Galatians chapter 6. He says, "Let those that are taught share with those that are teaching," and understand that in so doing, you will reap. Look at verse 9: "And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season you shall reap if you faint not." As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men. Who should we do good to? Well, to everybody, but especially to those of the household of faith.

This is a very basic but sometimes neglected spiritual principle. Those who feed and bless spiritually should be supported by those that are being fed financially. Paul repeated this principle in several places. We see it in 1 Corinthians, in 2 Corinthians, and he talks about it again in 1 Timothy throughout many of his letters.

Now, Martin Luther said these passages are all meant to benefit us ministers. I must say I do not find much pleasure in explaining these verses. I'm made to appear as if I am speaking of my own benefit, and I can completely relate to Martin Luther here. It's difficult sometimes to talk about these things, but we make it a pattern at Calvary Chapel to go through the Word of God, and when we come to these passages, we talk about it. It seems self-seeking, and I recognize that. It can come across in the wrong way.

But this is what the Scriptures teach: that we are to sow abundantly to the Spirit of God, to the work of God, and He will do great things.

Now, here's the interesting thing. In the last two years, I would go so far as to say that every single one of you in this room has lost money on every earthly investment you have—your house, your 401(k), stocks, bonds, mutual funds. Unless you invested everything in gold like five years ago, you probably lost a whole bunch of money. Trillions of dollars have been lost in America and in Europe throughout the world. In every investment that people have put themselves to, they've lost money.

In the last six months, the stock market has gone from about mid-5,000 up to 10,000. That's great, but still, it's not where it once was, and so everybody's lost money. But you know what? Your investment in the kingdom of God—you've lost nothing.

It yields dividends both here and now and in the world to come as well. You see, Jesus told us as His disciples that we are to store up our treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and a thief cannot break in and steal. This is the bank of eternal securities, and God will make good on that investment.

Let me tell you, this church is an extremely giving church. It's always a blessing to hear from Pastor Richard, who specifically goes through the budget and all the finances, and from some of the other people here at the church. It's amazing to hear what God does. As we finish up this year, 2009, we want to be able to share a little bit more of that with you at the end of this next month and going into the beginning of 2009. I want to share a couple of things that are an awesome blessing.

In the last eight years, we have ended every single year in the red, except for 2006, when an anonymous gift came from someone who watches us on TV for $50,000. That gift brought us into 2007 in the black, but it was the first time in a number of years. Although 2009 has been one of the most difficult years for many people within our fellowship financially, it is the first year in eight years that we are ending the year with a surplus—a significant surplus. We are having an elders meeting tonight to discuss a little bit about that, but God has blessed us in an abundant way.

Over a million dollars has been given by this church body to the ministry. Much of it has been spent on ministries outside of our church, going overseas and in our own community. God has done amazing things, and it's a great blessing to see. One of the dividends of that investment is that our church has grown by almost 50% in the last two years. We have had to go to three services because the church continues to grow, and most of you know you can't find a parking space at the second service.

God is doing an awesome work, a testimony to those that when we sow abundantly, we shall reap abundantly. Let me tell you, God wants to do even more, and we are seeing Him move in powerful and awesome ways. In the coming weeks, we will share with you some of the things that God has done in 2009 that probably only three or four people in this room know about. God did it, and we want to share what He has done through this church.

But it is an awesome thing to see how God provides. Week in and week out, the staff and the pastors at this church do not know if there will be any money to continue to support us. We live by faith. In reality, you live by faith too, although sometimes you do not recognize it. You have faith that your employer is actually going to make a profit and pay you. However, we see it a little bit more on a week-to-week basis here at the church because we do not know what the Lord will provide. It is a blessing to see that God does provide. It blows my mind all the time.

We see that there is much good work that God wants to do. So let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Don't faint, church. God is doing great things, and He is using you to accomplish that ministry. Whether you realize it or not, the fruit that is born because of the money that you give is accredited to your account in God's economy. God sees and God knows, and He is doing great and awesome things.

Paul continues in verse 11, "You see how large a letter I have written unto you with my own hand." There are some people who believe that Paul himself wrote the entire book of Galatians by hand, and this verse speaks to that. Most of Paul's letters were written by dictation; he would speak, and somebody else, a scribe, would write it down. We know one of the scribes by name from Romans chapter 16, a guy by the name of Tertius. He was the one who wrote down the letter to the Romans as Paul spoke it to him.

Some believe that in the book of Galatians, Paul wrote the entire thing in his own hand and that he wrote it with big letters. They say that Paul had an eye problem, which is why he wrote with big letters. Other people say that he only wrote this last little salutation. Whatever it is, it really does not matter. He wants to speak to this church something from his own heart, and he wants them to recognize that he himself is writing this to them with big letters.

Now, why did Paul write with big letters? Perhaps it was an eye problem. He was over 50 years old by this time. How many over 50 have eye problems here today? So, you know, no problem. As many of you as desire to make a show in the flesh...

I'm sorry. As many desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may glory in your flesh.

Again, Paul goes back to the original reason why he wrote this letter to the church at Galatia. These false teachers had come in and said it's not by grace alone or by faith alone; you need to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses. Paul says they are teaching you these false teachings for their own gain. They don't want to be persecuted, so they're teaching you a gospel that will socially work well for them. They want followers after themselves, so they're teaching you something that will make you their disciples and not disciples of Christ.

Now, whether it's speaking of circumcision 2,000 years ago or referring to those false teachers in our day who preach a gospel that is not the Christian gospel, not the biblical gospel, for their own selfish gain, Paul says they are in the wrong. But God forbid, in verse 14, that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. Would you put a star next to verse 14 in your Bibles? Perhaps make it your memory verse this week because it's an awesome verse. God forbid that I should glory in anything, that I should boast in anything except for the cross of Christ.

My self-worth is found in Christ. I know who I am, but I don't even know the depth of the depravity of my own heart because my heart is desperately wicked; who can know it? But God searches the heart, says Jeremiah 17:10. God knows my heart, and He loved me. He died for me and took my sin upon Himself, so He views me as valuable. Because He views me as valuable, I am valuable in Christ. By the cross of Christ, the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.

For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision avails much nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Circumcision or uncircumcision avails nothing in Christ. Your external works mean nothing in Christ as it relates to your salvation, your justification. One of the most religious people of Jesus' day, Nicodemus, was told, "You must be born again." You must become...

A new creation. Paul would tell the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. All the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." How many are thankful today that you are a new creation in Christ? Amen. All the old junk that you did has been done away with. Behold, all has become new.

As many as walk according to this rule, peace be upon them. Those who put their faith and trust in the work of Jesus Christ alone, peace be upon them and mercy upon the Israel of God. Not Israel the nation, but the Israel of God, the governed of God. From henceforth, let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

To a church that was being conscripted by false teachers to live under the law to be right with God, he ends his letter and says, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." Would it be that we, 2,000 years later, would continue to grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? It's not by works of righteousness that we have been justified; it's by the mighty and precious blood of Jesus Christ, our Savior. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might receive His righteousness.

Now that we have received His righteousness, He has given us a new heart. He has given us His Holy Spirit. We have the ability to walk in the Spirit, and when we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of our flesh, but we will exhibit the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, long-suffering, goodness, meekness, and self-control. In so doing, it will be practiced in a very practical way in our lives. We will do that which the world would never do: reach out to the person who has fallen into sin and call them to walk in righteousness again.

May the Lord strengthen us to live out our Christianity, that people would know that we are His disciples, not because of the bumper sticker or the fish, but because of our love. Let's stand and pray. Father, I thank You.

For Your Word, would You plant Your Word deep in our hearts today? Help us, Lord, not to soon forget it. Lord, I pray that You, by Your Spirit, would work it out in us, especially as we move into this holiday season. Teach us what it means to give, not out of necessity or grudgingly, but, Lord, from a cheerful heart.

Lord, we thank You for Your miraculous provision and the way that You support the ministry of Calvary Chapel. God, I ask that You would stretch our faith in 2010, helping us to step out into new areas where we've never been. Let us see You work mightily as we stand and see the salvation of our God. We praise You and thank You in Jesus' name. Amen.