Lessons in Practical Spirituality

We have been studying the book of Galatians, a book about the Good News of God’s Grace. The good news of grace is that it frees you from a life of legalism—of trying to please God and live the Christian life by keeping to a set of rules. That’s a stifling, frustrating, unproductive way to live. And God doesn’t want you to live that way.

The good news of grace is that God has given us his Spirit to live in our lives, and when we live by the Spirit—when we follow his leading, listen to his prompting, and actively yield control of our lives to him—He produces his fruit in our lives. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He enables us to put to death our sinful nature and live the way God wants us to.

Now what does that look like in practical terms? What are some down-to-earth examples of living by the Spirit? Well, if you’ll look at Galatians 6, you’ll find that Paul gives us two characteristics of people who are living by the Spirit—they will be burden bearers, and they will be blessing sharers.

I would encourage you to follow along on your sermon outline in the bulletin today. Let’s look at Gal. 6:1-5 together…

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.

A religious legalist isn’t interested in bearing the burdens of others; he’s more interested in adding to their burdens by his strict demands. Remember what Jesus said about the Pharisees in Matthew 23:4…

They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

A legalist is always going to be harder on others than he is on himself. But a Spirit-led Christian is going to be a burden bearer.

In the movie “First Knight”, King Arthur, played by Sean Connery, explains to Lancelot how life is different in Camelot. “In Camelot,” he says “we serve one another.”

Camelot was just a legend, but the Kingdom of God is real, and in the Kingdom of God, we serve one another. We bear one another’s burdens. Now there are three things involved in bearing the burdens of others. First is the ministry of restoration. Look at verse 1…

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.

The expression “caught in a sin” or, as the KJV has it: “overtaken in a fault”, means to be surprised by sin—to be caught by it as an animal is caught in a trap. This does not refer to a carnal believer who willfully and deliberately sins and defies God as a way of life. It refers to a believer who is running the race and suddenly trips and falls into sin.

How are we to treat such a person? Are we to shun him? Are we to criticize him? Are we to condemn him. In John 8, the Pharisees brought in a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They made a spectacle of her, and they wanted to use her to trap Jesus.

Some people have accused the church of Jesus Christ as being the only army on earth that shoots its wounded. Is that what we are to do with a believer who sins?

No. The Bible says that we are to restore such a person gently. Because how spiritual I am is revealed by the way I treat people who have sinned. When I read the Gospels, I am overwhelmed at the way that Jesus dealt with sinners. He treated them so gently, so kindly, with such dignity, that the Pharisees accused him of being the “friend of sinners”.

Jesus never accepted, or excused their sin, but he accepted them. And he forgave their sin.

There once was a powerful preacher down in the South who, before he became a follower of Christ, had been a drunk. But the Lord had gotten hold of his life and he ended up going into the ministry.

But early on in his ministry, when he was pastoring his first church, he was finding the ministry to be very demanding and stressful. There was a great deal of pressure and temptation, and finally one night he slipped and fell. He began drinking, and he got drunk.

He was so ashamed that the very next day, he called in his board of deacons and submitted his resignation. They were shocked, and they asked him why. He confessed to them through his tears: “I got drunk last night. A preacher should not get drunk. That’s why I want to resign.”

You know what those deacons did? I know what a lot of deacons boards would do in that situation! But those deacons were different. They put their arms around that man, and as he prayed a prayer of repentance, they prayed for him. And they wouldn’t let him resign. And that next Sunday, that preacher preached the greatest sermon about God’s grace that he ever preached in his life. Because he had experienced it firsthand through brothers who were committed to the ministry of restoration.

The word “restore” that Paul uses here is the same word that is used for how a fisherman mends his nets, or how a doctor sets a broken bone.

As the father of five boys, I’ve had a lot of experience with broken bones. I’ll always remember the time that my son Jonathan broke his wrist. He was playing basketball and he jumped and lost his balance and came down hard on his wrist. He came running back from the playground and his arm looked like this…

So we got in the car and we put his arm on a pillow and I drove as quickly as I could to the office of a dear friend of ours who just happened to be an orthopedic surgeon. (If you are raising boys, it’s always good to be friends with an orthopedic surgeon.)

After taking X-rays to determine exactly what bone was broken, that man took Jonathan’s wrist in his hands, and gently but firmly squeezed the broken bone back into place. Then he put a cast on it, and a few weeks later, the wrist was healed. The process was painful, but the result was a restoration to usefulness.

Dear friends, this is what we need to be doing for one another as Christians. Let’s not go through life pretending that we never sin. We DO sin, and when we do, we need our brothers and sisters to hold us accountable, and to restore us when we fall. That’s why the Bible says in James 5:16 that we should confess our sins to each other.

Recently I had a man in the church come to me and say “Peter, I really have a tendency to be impatient and sarcastic with my wife. Would you hold me accountable and check up on me from time to time about this?” I said “Yeah, I’d be glad to, if you’ll do the same for me.” We need to confess our sins to each other and be ready to restore each other when we fall.

And we need to do it with an eye to ourselves. Look at what Paul says at the end of verse 1… But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

And then down in verse 3, he says… If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else

When we deal with the sins of other people, we may have a tendency to ignore our own faults and failings. A Christian legalist will even take a perverse pleasure in the failures of others, because he thinks that makes him look good. But the Bible says that as we undertake the ministry of being a burden bearer, we need to always evaluate ourselves realistically.

I constantly need to be asking myself “How am I doing spiritually? How am I doing with my spiritual disciplines—with my prayer life; with my study of the Word; with my time alone with God?”

Recently, I made a very arrogant statement to someone. I said “I have never seen so many Christians who are biblically literate but spiritually immature.” I am sorry I ever said that. Because not long afterward, the Holy Spirit hit me between the eyes with the fact that is exactly what I am—biblically literate, but spiritually immature. I was just describing myself.

Paul says in v. 5 that ultimately, we are each responsible for carrying our own load. Now is this a contradiction? We’re told to be burden bearers in verse 2, but we’re told that we should each bear our own load, or burden, in verse 5.

The word “load” that is used in v. 5 is different from the word for “burden” that is used in v. 2. The word “burden” in verse 2 means a heavy, crushing, oppressive weight—something that you obviously need help with. But the word “load” in verse 5 is the same word that was used of a soldier’s pack, or a ship’s cargo, or even of a woman carrying a baby in her womb.

It refers to a personal load that God has given you. And he has given you both the ability and the responsibility to carry it.

Look at it this way. If my car breaks down, I might ask my neighbor to give my kids a lift to school one day. That’s a burden that he can help me bear.

But I can’t ask my neighbor to maintain my car for me, because that’s a load that God expects me to carry. He’s given me the responsibility for it, and the ability to do it.

We can’t go through life, as some Christians do, whining and complaining that nobody is helping them to carry loads that God expects them to carry. I hear some Christians blaming the church for why they are the way they are, when in reality, they have just refused to accept responsibility for carrying their own load.

We have been watching the Olympics this week. And it has been stirring to see the medal winners standing on the podium receiving their rewards. Some of them are jubilant, some are overcome with emotion, some of them seem to be lost in thought. But each of them must be experiencing an intense feeling of satisfaction in knowing that they have done their best and have reached their goal.

Did you know that the Bible uses exactly the same image to describe what happens ultimately to a Christian? The Olympic games started back in ancient Greece. And the winners went to the podium where they stood before the judgment seat, where the president of the games would give them their reward.

One day, each of us is going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive our reward. How well have I carried my load? Being a burden bearer involves restoring my brother who has fallen, evaluating myself realistically, and carrying my own load faithfully.

Being a Spirit-led Christian means being a burden bearer, and it also means being a blessing sharer. Look at verse 6…

Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.

Back in the OT, the Jewish people were required to pay a tax—a tithe, 1/10th of their income—to support the Levites who served as their representatives before God and taught them the Word of God. But if you become a follower of Jesus Christ, you are free from the OT Law. So what responsibility do you have now?

Paul lays down a pretty straightforward principle for us here—if you are being taught the Word of God, then you owe something to the teacher. God expects us to share our material blessings with those He uses to bring spiritual blessing into our lives.

And how well we do in this area is like a spiritual barometer of what’s going on in our hearts. What I do with material things shows the value I place on spiritual things.

Imagine if you were to go to Shoprite or Giant to get groceries. You load up your shopping cart till it’s full to overflowing with food. And then, instead of going through the check-out line and paying for it, you simply wheel your cart out the door into the parking lot, load up your car, and drive away. What would they call you? That’s right, they’d call you a shoplifter.

Listen, there are many Christian shoplifters in the church today. There are many Christians who give very little to support the ministry of the Word. They show up in church each week, but when the plate goes by, they place almost nothing into it. They walk out the door, they thank the preacher warmly for a wonderful message, but they never show God how much they appreciate it by what they give.

Mind you, these same people will go and spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on earthly pleasures and pursuits. What you do with material things shows the value you place on spiritual things.

And Paul says “Your only kidding yourself.” Listen to what he says in verse 7…

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

What are you spending your money on? Things that please your sinful nature? Or things that please the Holy Spirit?

In the coming year we have an opportunity as a church to prove to God what kind of priority we place on the ministry of the Word and the things of the Spirit. We have embarked on a building program to enable this church to have a larger impact on this community. To enable more people to come under the sound of the Gospel. To enable more families to be reached, and more lives to be changed.

But all that is going to cost money. And it is going to demand that we, as a congregation, sacrifice to make it happen. A farmer makes sacrifices to sow the seed in his field. He gets up early. He works hard. It isn’t an easy life. But he does it willingly and joyfully, because he knows that one day, the harvest is going to come in.

So what are you willing to sacrifice for the work of God? Are you willing to sacrifice your Cable TV subscription and give that money to the Building Project? Our congregation is made up of roughly 240 giving units. Let’s assume that 200 of those giving units have Cable TV. A Cable subscription costs about $300 per year. So that means that our congregation is putting roughly $60,000 into Cable TV each year. And what will we have to show for that in eternity?

How much money do you suppose we spend on eating out? Or newspaper and magazine subscriptions? Or going to movies?

The harvest principle says that you reap what you sow. If a farmer sows corn in the spring, and then that fall, he starts complaining that he didn’t get any tomatoes, you’d think he was nuts. Yet in the same way, so many Christians are just sowing to the flesh and then wondering why God isn’t blessing their lives. You reap what you sow.

I know a Christian dentist on Long Island. He took care of our family’s teeth when we lived there. But he would never let us pay for any of his services, because I was a pastor. He would just say “God has been so good to me, this is just a small way that I can give back to Him.” And you know, God blessed that man abundantly. His practice flourished. His financial life flourished. He lacked nothing.

Every summer, we go to LeTourneau Christian Conference in Canandaigua, NY. It is named after R.G. LeTourneau, a Christian businessman who gave 90% of his income to the Lord’s work and lived on the remaining 10%. And God made him a millionaire. He couldn’t give away his money fast enough because of the way God was blessing him.

We seem to have the idea that if we give a dollar to God’s work, that’s a dollar lost—a dollar that I can’t use for my own needs. My friends that is so wrong. God forgive us for ever thinking that way.

Every dollar that we give to the work of the Lord and the ministry of the Word is a dollar invested in eternity. And God takes note of it. And God blesses the giver. Jesus said “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Paul told the Philippians that because they were giving so liberally to the Lord’s work “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

A Spirit-led Christian will give to support the ministry of the Word. He’ll understand the harvest principle given to us here in verses 7–8. And he will not become weary in doing good. Look at verses 9–10…

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

We hear a lot these days about “burn out” in ministry. A S.S. teacher will quit because she’s burnt out. A missionary couple will return from the field because they are burnt out. A pastor will give up because he’s burnt out. These people are serving God, but their service has drained them and left them feeling empty and used up. They have become weary in doing good.

There are three reasons why, as a Christian, you might become weary in doing good.

1. Lack of prayer

2. Lack of nourishment

3. Lack of love

Last year, I went mountain biking in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. We were climbing a steep hill at an altitude of about 9,000 feet and I felt like I was ready to die. I was breathing, but I wasn’t getting enough oxygen.

Prayer is like oxygen to a Christian. If you’re not praying, you’re not breathing. And if you’re not breathing, you can’t go on serving very long. Prayer is like a breath of fresh air. It wakes you up, gives you new vigor and energy and helps you keep going. That’s why Jesus told his disciples that they should always pray and not give up.

Many Christians are suffering from spiritual malnutrition. This is especially true if your ministry calls on you to be teaching, or giving out the Word of God. You are always giving and giving, and never taking it in yourself. An Olympic athlete needs a well balanced diet to sustain her body so that she can perform at peak efficiency. Likewise, we need the Word of God to sustain our service for Christ.

Jesus said “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” We read in Isaiah 40:28…

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Lack of prayer, lack of spiritual nourishment, and finally lack of love can cause us to grow weary in doing good.

There were two churches in the NT that were noted for their good works. Thessalonica and Ephesus. Paul commends the church at Thessalonica in 1 Thes. 1, where he says “We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Over in Revelation 2:2, the Lord Jesus Christ mentions the work of the church at Ephesus. He says “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.” But then he goes on to say “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.”

The church of Thessalonica was working hard because they loved the loved the Lord. Their work was an expression of their love for Him. But the church of Ephesus, though they were working hard for the Lord, had lost their first love for Him.

It may be that that is where you are today. You are working for the Lord but you have lost your love for the Lord. Your relationship with Him is stale and unfulfilling. And pretty soon, you look at your service for him as being a joyless chore. And that’s when you get weary of it.

The prophet Malachi mentions in Mal. 1:13 the priests who served God but complained “What a burden it is!” Maybe that’s you?

If it is, it’s time to get alone with God and ask him to soften your heart. Open your Bible and read again, not to prepare a lesson for someone else, but just to hear Him talking to you. Pray, and pray not just to rhyme off a long list of prayer requests, but to listen. Listen for his still small voice calling you to himself. Restoring you to the joy of your first love.

Then you’ll be ready once more to be a burden-bearer and a blessing-sharer for His glory.