Galatians 6 (7-23-25)

Hello everyone it's Pastor James and welcome back as we have our midweek

Bible study. Today we're going to finish up the entire sixth chapter of Galatians

and this is the last chapter of this short book as Paul conveys his final

warnings and advice to all of the churches within the area of Galatia. So

let's start out reading verses 1 through 10 as Paul talks about us harvesting

what we plant. He says dear brothers and sisters if another believer is overcome

by sin you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the

right path and be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each

other's burdens and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think that you are

too important to help someone you are only fooling yourself. You are not that

important. Pay careful attention to your own work for then you will get the

satisfaction of a job well done and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone

else for we are each responsible for our own conduct. Those who are taught the

Word of God should provide for their teachers sharing all good things with

them. Don't be misled you cannot mock the justice of God you will always

harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful

nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature but those who live to

please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So

let's not get tired of doing what is good at just the right time we will reap

a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. Therefore whenever we have the

opportunity we should do good to everyone especially those in the family of faith.

Alright well verse 1 seems to be this totally separate issue that Paul is now

addressing but it's very much connected to the end of chapter 5 as Paul is

talking about the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit and living

for Christ. Now this is really important to keep in mind as we begin

this new chapter because if you live a Christian life being

filled with the Holy Spirit chances are you won't fall into sin. Therefore Paul

says if another believer is overcome by sin you who are godly should gently and

humbly help the person come back on the right path. Now this is important

because people who are filled with the Holy Spirit of God do not look at

sinners or people who have stumbled with disdain or hatred in any way. You know we

pity people who stumble and struggle with sin. We sympathize with them. We

suffer with them because we love them and we are concerned with them and the

truth is is that people who are not spirit filled and who are only trying

to serve Christ in their own power are the ones who get mad and frustrated with

others who stumble because they can't grasp why these people just aren't able

to get it right and that's a big difference that I want to convey in this

Bible study is that you know there are people out there who are very

disciplined. God has gifted them to be a disciplined person and so there are a

lot of people who can reframe from sinful things. There are people out there who can

be so disciplined in their life that they can set up boundaries and and you

know cut off things that would give them access to certain things that would

cause them to sin and so some people will be very obedient to the Lord in

their own strength but a lot of people aren't like that. Most people are not

that disciplined in their life. Some people are most people are not and the

people who are they're living for Jesus under their own strength and they just

cannot understand why other people can't get it. Why can't they just do it?

Because they're doing it and the truth is is because they're not living by the

Spirit and for someone who is disciplined who's looking at other

people with frustration they're not able to love other people and serve them and

minister to them well because they don't have the love for them in their lives

because the Holy Spirit isn't present in their lives and so we need the Holy

Spirit for all of us. We need it to help us to love other people. We need it to

help us to live apart from sin. We need it to help us do all the things that

Christ has called us to do and this is why those of you who are godly should

gently and humbly help the people back onto the right path because if we're

living according to the Holy Spirit we will love them we will care for them we

will be patient with them we will humbly and gently help them and not

treat them harshly or judge them. You also got to notice that Paul says for

the godly person to be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself

because even when we are living a spirit-filled life it's important to

understand that we are still capable of sin. We are still capable of straying

away from God. We are still capable of rejecting God and his ways to follow our

own desires. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not a one-time thing and

then all of a sudden you're filled forever with the Spirit of God. Being

filled with the Holy Spirit is a daily surrendering of yourself. It is a daily

dying to yourself so that the Holy Spirit can live and dwell and reign in

your life. So verse 2 talks about sharing each other's burdens and this is truly

the way to love your neighbor as yourself to share with their burdens. Now

this may come a little more naturally to some people but in reality if we are

filled with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will guide us and help us to share

other people's burdens. Verse 3 might be one of my favorite verses in all the

scripture because it's sharp but it's true. None of us are too important or too

busy to help others. It is what we are called to do as followers of Christ. This

is one of those things that a lot of times I struggle with because my wife and

I have a very busy schedule because of our jobs you know with her in the

healthcare industry and me being in ministry. Believe it or not there are

seasons where you know we're just extremely extremely busy and our

schedules and calendars are so full but we are not so important that we need to

ignore other people or refuse them help or care. And you got to think about all

the people that Jesus helped and the things he did for so many people who

never followed him or surrendered him. So Jesus was not just willing to help

people who surrendered to him, he helped people who did not believe in him.

People who did not follow him and so that's really important to remember that

even Jesus took the time to help and serve others in his ministry and he

did it anyways and he's so much more important than any of us so we should

be willing to do the same thing. Now verses 4 and 5 reminds all of us to pay

attention to our own walks with Christ and not worry so much about other people

and that's important as believers you know a lot of times we will look at

others and try to compare ourselves to them to kind of get a gauge on where

we are but the truth is it doesn't matter what other people are doing we

have to be accountable to what Christ calls us to. We have to be accountable

to the sins that Christ has called us away from, the things of the world that

Christ has called us away from, the things of the world that Christ has

called us to die to. It may not even be that things are necessarily sinful but

there's something within us that Christ is saying hey I want you to come away

from this or come out of this. And so if we focus on our callings we will

accomplish all that God has for us. We won't need to compare ourselves to

anyone else or worry about what they are doing or not doing because we will

simply do what we know that we're called to do and do it well and do it with the

help of Christ and the Holy Spirit. Now verse 6 is a little odd as it kind of

comes out of nowhere it does deal with harvesting what we plant but we should

provide for people who are serving us and doing the will of God and this is

really important and yet we need to be very careful and encourage everyone to

use discernment in this. You know there are people who are genuinely trying to

serve God who get neglected and then there are people who are trying to take

advantage of others who are abusing passages of Scripture like this for

their own benefit and their own gain and so we have to be aware of both and

so I always encourage people to ask God to lead you and speak to you as to

how you should best help people that you want to give to. You know whether

you're a member of Graham and you attend Graham or you attend another church and

you're listening to this just know that this is a calling that God has put on

your life to care for those who are doing the will of God. At the same

time know that there are wolves in sheep's clothing who are always having a

hand reached out for you to give to them and to give to the Lord and they're

using that money for their own purposes and their own gain. So we have to be aware

of both. We have to use discernment. We have to prayerfully consider how God

wants us to give. Always ask God to lead you and speak to you. Care for the

people who are genuinely serving the Lord and don't feel bad to walk away

from someone that you don't have a good feeling about. You know if you

don't have a good gut feeling or a good spirit inclination about someone do not

feel obligated to give to them or support them in any way. Support the

people who you are confident in and you know the Lord is using and that's my all

I have to say about that. Now verses 7 through 10 are hard truths but necessary

as we consider where we stand with our Lord and Savior. So we always reap what

we sow. We won't get away with anything. We will always be rewarded for everything

good that we do and it may not come in the times, places, or ways that we think

it should or need it to but it always comes and it comes exactly when God wants

it to. People who feed their sinful nature will harvest decay and death.

People who feed the Spirit of God will harvest everlasting life. Remember that.

Cling to that in your life as you live day in and day out and know that if you

live to please the Spirit of God you will harvest everlasting love. If you live

to please yourself it will bring about decay and destruction. Choose which one

that you want and know that how you live will determine which one that you get.

So it's important that we do not get tired and give up. We may feel like

nothing good is happening in our lives. We may feel like sinful people are getting

away with all of their misdeeds but the time of judgment is coming and the time

of reward is coming and at just the right time in God's time we will reap a

harvest of blessing if we do not give up. This is why verse 10 tells us to do

good to everyone and every opportunity that we have because we are building up a

harvest we're building up a reward that God will pay back at a certain time

especially when we do good to those in the family of Christ. So if you're

listening this today do not give up okay. You only get the reward if you stay the

course and you finish strong. Paul says I ran the race, I ran well, I finished well

and I'm ready to receive my eternal reward. So let's go to verses 11 through

18 as Paul finishes up this book with his final advice. Notice what large

letters I use as I write these closing words in my own handwriting. Those who are

trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don't

want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save and

even those who advocate circumcision don't keep the whole law themselves. They

only want to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their

disciples. As for me may I never boast about anything except the cross of our

Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross my interest in this world has been

crucified and the world's interest in me has also died. It doesn't matter

whether we have been circumcised or not what counts is whether we have been

transformed into a new creation. May God's peace and mercy be upon all who

live by this principle. They are the new people of God. From now on don't let

anyone trouble me with these things for I bear on my body the scars that show I

belong to Jesus. Dear brothers and sisters may the grace of our Lord

Jesus Christ be with your spirit amen. Alright looking at verse 11 this is one

of the primary things we see that give us insight into how Paul handled the

business of his ministry. Many people in this time would speak to someone that

helped them when they wanted the letter to say a certain thing and they would

have someone write it for them but the assistant or secretary if you will

would be the one to actually do the writing. But Paul who is the author in

this instance would usually write a small part of the letter to assure the

readers that it's actually coming from him and this may seem sort of

deceptive but this is very common among people who are high-functioning

individuals. So Paul had hundreds of churches in various provinces on three

different continents. Paul traveled thousands of miles potentially

thousands of people who was under his ministry and that's a lot especially for

this day and time when communication resources were very limited. You know Paul

couldn't hop on a plane and fly somewhere. He had to travel mostly by

walking. He couldn't call someone. He couldn't email them. He couldn't text

them. He had to write a letter and have someone physically deliver it. It's

a very different context and so as Paul finishes up this letter he writes this

last portion with his own handwriting to assure the readers that this is coming

from him. He uses big letters probably to emphasize his point. Some people have

suggested in the past that he may have had poor eyesight because he read so

much and did so much and that's why he wrote in big letters but he was

getting older and that's a common thing but you know I write a lot of handwritten

letters and you know as I write handwritten letters I think they're very

personal and that's one of the reasons why I like to write them to people so

that they know like I actually spent the time with my own hand to

communicate this message to them and in those letters when I write big it's

typically because I want to emphasize something. So if I put all caps or write

it big, it's very important and I want them to notice that more than anything

else and this is probably what Paul is doing. I mean he's closing this letter

out. He's trying to get his point across in these final few verses and in verse

12 he goes back to the root of the letter being written. Circumcision is

the main issue at hand and anyone who is pushing this has a hidden agenda

because it's not necessary for salvation. They want to look good to others who are

also insisting the same thing and Paul reveals that if you just preach the

cross that you will be persecuted. Like you have to understand that if you just

preach the cross of Jesus Christ that people will hate you for it. There's

something about that. If you preach circumcision, no one cares. You're not

going to be persecuted for it but if you just preach Jesus Christ and him

alone, you will be persecuted and that's what Paul is drawing attention to. It's

amazing at how something so simple can enrage so many people but even today the

very name of Jesus Christ angers the multitudes of people in the world. You

can talk about God, you can talk about religion, you can talk about Islam, which

is by far the most violent of all religions and yet the one where our God

died for us and calls us to die to ourselves and to serve others is the one

that so many others meet with the most persecution and resistance. There is

something about that that we should take notice of. Now in verse 13 this

reveals the issue at hand. Even the people who preach circumcision because of

the law of Moses requires it, does not actually keep every aspect of the law

of Moses themselves. Paul reveals the inconsistency in this and that the fact

that the people are only wanting to claim these Galatian Christians as their

disciples rather than actually caring about them as people. They want them to

mutilate themselves, to scar themselves, to circumcise themselves so that they can

claim them as these are people that we have won over their hours and this is

why Paul talked about it being mutilation in chapter 5. Circumcision

although beneficial is a violent and painful thing and while there are physical

benefits to it, it's not necessary to receive eternal life. This is the thing

that Paul has been communicating. Only Jesus Christ can give eternal life. If

you want to get circumcised, fine, great, but it's not necessary to receive

eternal life. In verse 14 reveals Paul's attitude and heart in all this.

He doesn't care to boast about anything. He only wants to boast about Jesus

Christ and what Christ has done for him and for all people on the cross. And it's

because of the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross for Paul that Paul was so

willing to put his desires and the things of the world on the cross and

let them die on the cross as well. It isn't a sacrifice when you truly

understand the price that Jesus paid for all of us. It's an easy trade-off

and we receive so much for what is so trivial and easily had in this world and

this is the message that Paul's communicating. Now in verse 15 he talks

about us being made into new creations. The fact that nothing else

matters we're all made brand new through Jesus and that is important that we

become different people because of our encounter with Jesus. We are and

supposed to be a new creation. So verse 16 talks about people who are new

creations and how they're now the new people of God. And that's important

because we have to remember that the promise that God made to Abraham in

Genesis 12 has been carried over specifically to his descendants up until

the point of Jesus Christ dying on the cross. But now that same promise is

offered to anyone who would believe in Jesus and accept him as the Messiah

because he is the ultimate fulfillment of the original promise. The promise of God

came through Abraham's descendants until the Messiah came. But once the Messiah

came, the promises no longer carried through the Jews, now the promises

carried through the Messiah. So once the Messiah comes, the promises now

carried through the Messiah. And only the people who put their trust and faith

in the Messiah can now receive the promise that was originally given to

Abraham. This is why everyone who believes in Jesus Christ becomes

children of God. They're adopted into the family of God as children and they

get to receive the inheritance that was promised to Abraham all the way back in

Genesis 12. That promise is salvation. That promise is freedom from sin. That

promise is reuniting with God and then eternal life. Now verse 17 gets pretty

real. In this moment Paul talks about the scars that shows who he belongs to.

He has been circumcised and has the scars from that. But those scars don't

matter. The scars that Paul is talking about are the scars that he has received

from being beaten and stoned and shipwrecked and whatever else has

happened to him because he preached Jesus Christ in the cross alone. So Paul has

been scarred more than anyone else in the name of Jesus. They even thought he

was dead at one point and left him after they stoned him and Paul got up

and went on and continued to preach the gospel. Those are the scars that Paul's

talking about. He says, look, you're talking about scars of circumcision. I

have actual scars showing that I belong to Jesus Christ. And that's the

difference in Paul and these false teachers that were coming and

preaching about circumcision. Now finally in verse 18, he still refers to the

people of Galatia as brothers and sisters. He doesn't try to elevate

himself above them or to shame them. They are equals in Christ and this is

something that we see over and over again in Paul's writing. He always holds

people accountable but he always refers to his Christian brothers and

sisters as equals in Christ. He never tries to elevate himself above them. He

never tries to gain anything from them. He always puts them first and serves

them just like Jesus served others first. And that's the heart of Paul's

ministry. That's what he's trying to convey. The false teachers that came to

Galatia to preach circumcision, they want to elevate themselves above Paul and

above others. But Paul is saying, no, we're here to serve one another. We're

here to live for Jesus and we're here to do what Jesus has called us to do.

Nothing more, nothing less, just Jesus. Let's pray together. Father, thank you so

much for the opportunity to be able to study this wonderful book and I pray

that you would use it to speak powerfully into our hearts. God help us

to live for you and serve you. Help us to focus on what's important, what's

true and Lord guide us in all things. Help us to be yours. We love you and

thank you and ask this in Jesus name. Amen. Alright guys, thanks for tuning in

for another week. We love you. We're praying for you. If you cannot join us

in person, catch us on YouTube, Facebook or the podcast. We love you. We're

praying for you. Have a great week.