Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing
Galatians: Getting the Gospel Right • Sermon • Submitted
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1 Brothers, 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. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load.
6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 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. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. 12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.
A number of years ago in Kansas City, there was a well-respected pharmacist named Robert Courtney.
He had a good reputation, never had been in trouble with the law, grew up in the church, and was currently serving as deacon in an Assemblies of God church
Things were going pretty good for him until one day some nurses noted that some of their cancer patients who were purchasing drugs from Mr. Courtney, were experiencing much less side effects than what was normal for people taking those drugs.
And they also noticed that their patients weren’t really improving.
This led to some internal investigation
Long story short, it was discovered that for some years, Robert Courtney had been diluting drugs. Not just cancer drugs, but medications for diabetics, AIDS patients, more.
In some cases he was taking $3000 worth of drugs, and diluting them to such an extent that they were worth only about $700 and giving himself a significant profit.
When the law finally caught up to him, it was discovered that he had made over $19 million off his scheme
He was sentenced 30 years in the federal penitentiary
The tragic story is that some of Courtney’s cancer patients died because they were not taking the full strength of drugs that they thought they were getting.
Mr. Courtney lost focus.
He didn’t keep the main thing the main thing. He did not keep the oath that he had taken when being licensed as a pharmacists in front of him
The first part of that vow is:
I will consider the welfare of humanity and relief of suffering my primary concerns.
Instead he got greedy and a lot of people suffered because of His greed
While this is a sad story,
But you know, a lot of people who claim to believe the Gospel lose focus too.
Their attention is turned by greed, by addictions, by power,
And the power of the Gospel message is diluted.
Either the Gospel isn’t proclaimed at all, or people are confused about what the Gospel messenger proclaims and how he lives
Sometimes we are Gospel messengers find it hard to keep the main thing the main thing
I think if Paul talked like an American, he might have said to the Galatians, “keep the main thing, the main thing!”
In Galatians 6, he continues to teach them about how the Gospel of Freedom strengthens the Body of Christ
Here’s something challenging
Restoring each other.
One way in which the Gospel should work in our lives is that we are prepared to restore someone who has a fault or a sin in their life.
They have been overtaken.
This indicates to me that Paul is talking about someone who had been running well
They had already tasted freedom
But the hounds of the slave master were hot on his heels and caught up to him and bit him.
And now They have done something which is against God’s nature…something which mars or distorts God’s image in them
And they are damaged.
They need to be “restored”. The Greek word means, to correct or repair.
Lately, there have been just an explosion of TV shows about “makeovers”: making the old new
There’s TV shows about clothing and hair styles
There are shows about old cars or motorcycles being restored
There are tons of shows about old houses being rennovated
I have very little experience with any of these things, but as we were preparing to move into our new house, Heidi and I decided that we wanted to refinish/restore the hardwood floors in the original part of the house
So we researched and studied and asked questions
And then with some nervousness and uncertainty, I went out and rented sanders and sandpaper and polyurethane and went to work
And I have to admit that we were surprised at the results
What looked worn out and dingy has a nice bright look to it.
You know, it’s one thing to restore a floor or a car. It’s something quite different to restore a person.
But it’s part of what must happen in the Body of Christ
Sin can overtake us, and we begin to look dingy and worn out. The power of the Gospel begins to fade in our lives. We need to be restored.
We need to be led back to “where we used to be”. or where we should be
Remember the admonition that Jesus gave to the churches in Revelation
Ephesus--”You have forgotten the love that you had at first.”; you need to be restored
Sardis--”Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die”
Laodicea--”You are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Buy from me gold so that you can be rich, white garments to clothe yourself, and salve to anoint your eyes.
All of these examples have the picture of restoring what has been damaged by sin
But there are two qualifications for the ones doing the restoration work. They should be
Spiritual
Gentle (KJV Meek)
Question: Who in this room is spiritual? (I hope many of us can raise our hands)
Guess what? This work of restoration is not just for the pastors and the elders.
He does not say, “If a brother is overtaken in a sin, the pastor should go and talk to him”
He says, “You who are spiritual”
What does it mean to be spiritual
Someone who knows Jesus
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation
Someone who listens to the voice of the Holy Spirit—led by the Spirit
Someone who shows mature spiritual fruit—those things that we talked about in the last chapter
Someone who can point the brother who has stumbled back to Scripture
And I know that many of us feel inadequate to try this work of restoration
Oh no, I couldn’t do that. Pastor, would you go and talk to this person?
But, according to this passage, I believe this is a work for all of us
You are to restore
Again, a lot we could say about this
Simply put, lead the one who has been overtaken, out from under the sin that has over taken him
It’s like someone has been mugged. You rush in, join the victim in the fight, and you both run off together.
He may still be bleeding and weak from his injuries, but you’ve gotten him out from under that attacker, and now you and he are going for help
To restore someone is to get them out from under the sin that has overtaken them and now you are both running for help. He may still be weak and bleeding, but the sin is no longer controlling him
If the sin is pride, you start to see the pride weakening and humble repentance coming into his life
If the sin is idolatry, you start to see the Spirit revealing his idols to him and he starts to burn those idols.
You are to do this work gently
When you are restoring someone, the real issue is what is in the heart. And the heart is a fragile organ
You treat the person gently, asking lots of questions, helping to direct this person to thinking about his sin in light of who Jesus is, and what His Word says
And the reason that you do this gently is because you yourself are prone to the same sin.
Paul says to keep watch less you also are tempted
Whatever sin you see in your brother or sister is most likely one that you are struggling with or have struggled with in the past
Watch out! don’t come with arrogance or condemnation
Galatians 6:3 “3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”
Test your own work. Take the plank out of your own eye first.
Come gently and with humility
Watch out because sin has a way of infecting others
maybe someone has been overtaken by the sin of alcoholism, and you want to help that brother. Watch out!
Maybe someone is overtaken by the sin of gossip. Watch out! You can easily be pulled into that
Maybe it’s slander. And you go to that brother. Watch out! it’s infectious.
Bear each other’s burdens.
Not just physically
We do a pretty good job with that: meals, work projects, etc
But emotionally and spiritually as well
This is hard work, I know
But it’s work for those who are spiritual
Sharing
Galatians 6:6 “6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.”