YOUR BROTHER'S KEEPER
Galatians 5:18-6:10
BE LED BY THE SPIRIT
V:5.18 But if you are led by
the Spirit, you are not under the law.
According to some theologians,
there are 613 commands in the law.
Those under the law are
obligated to keep all the commands to not be
condemned by the law (James
2:10). All believers in Jesus Christ are not
under the law because all the
requirements of the law were fulfilled
with His death on the
cross. We are under grace.
The law points to our sins,
Grace covers our sins
Therefore, we must decide to
be led by the spirit. If we are led by
Holy Spirit we will follow
God’s commands out of obedience and not for
fear of condemnation.
THE SINS OF NATURE
19 The acts of the sinful
nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; 20 idolatry
and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,
dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn
you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the
kingdom of God.
It is only by the power of the
Holy Spirit that we can resist the sins of the flesh.
To fight the sins of the
flesh, we must know what our sins are. Paul said we are sins
are obvious, but to the world,
they are normal actions. It is good to review God's list
of sins so we will know how we
must improve.
Sexual Immorality Adultery, married but sex outside of
marriage
Fornication Sex between single and
unmarried people
Impurity Unnatural practices,
sodomy, bestiality
Debauchery Extreme bodily pleasures,
including sex, drugs and
alcohol
Idolatry and witchcraft Worship of idol gods, Use of spells and
incantations
to heal or destroy the enemy.
Hatred Opposition to brotherly love
and kindness
Discord Open acts of contention
Jealousy Strife to set up one’s self at the
expense of another
Fits of rage Disturbing the harmony of the mind
Selfish ambitions Lifting ourselves above others
Dissensions Divisions into separate parties
Fractions Scandals, offenses, and
stumbling blocks
Envy Pain felt at the sight
of others excellence or happiness
Drunkenness Lost of control of oneself due to
abuse of alcohol
Orgies Sexual encounters
involving many people
Before Christ, our lives were
entangled in these sins. Being created new in
Christ, these things we strive
to put aside for the righteousness of God. We
must work continuously to
control the temptations of the flesh.
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
V:22 But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness,
and self-control. Against such things, there is no law. 24 Those who belong to
Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not
become conceited, provoking, and envying each other.
Being created new in Christ we
are equipped with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Our focus has changed from us
to the unity of the body of Christ. It takes time and
maturity to grow in spirit.
God gives us a list of the
fruit that characterizes believers in Christ
Love
The most important command in the Bible
Love God first, then your
neighbor as yourself
Joy Joy is a personal choice. We must focus
on the goodness of the
Lord to experience Jesus'
Joy.
Peace
It is not the peace of the world, but the peace of God that surpasses
all
understanding.
Patience Learning to wait on the Lord, trusting Him
in all our circumstances
Kindness Showing acts of kindness to others in all
situations
Goodness Doing the things that are good to others,
overlooking
the bad in others
Faithfulness Trusting in the promises of the Lord
Gentleness Developing an attitude of gentleness
toward others
with regard to
their well being
Self-control Allowing the spirit to guide and direct all
your activities
Being led by the spirit, our
focus is promoting the gospel of Jesus Christ and
unity in the body. Learning to
be submissive to the Spirit is a continuous process.
of practical applications of
the elements listed to produce the desired fruit.
The Christian life is a
continuous work to rid ourselves of the sins of the flesh and
replace them with the fruit of
the spirit.
BE OUR BROTHER'S KEEPERS
V:6.1 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. 2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this
way, you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks he is something
when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Each one should test his own
actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody
else, 5 for each one should carry his own load.
There are times when any of us
can get caught up in the evil of the world. It may
happen unknowingly or by
mistake. It is the job of mature believers to come
alongside a brother and counsel
him in the right way. We must be careful that
we don’t discourage but lift
them up in the Lord. We may help them bear the burden.
of sin with fellowship and
prayer.
While counseling another, let
us not see ourselves in a better position but
subject to the same sin. It not our strength that holds us in check,
but the
Power of the Lord lives within
us. We find our contentment in the Lord and
not in the failure of others.
SHARING WITH YOUR TEACHER
V:6 Anyone who receives
instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.
Our teachers are subject to
the same pitfalls as everyone else. When we have good
news, we should share
testimonies with them. We teach with confidence the
in the Lord. But it is good to
be encouraged by others in what they have learned
and experienced. As a teacher,
it gives me joy when I see others maturing and
handling life’s problems
successfully.
YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW
V:7 Do not be deceived: God
cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 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. 9 Let us not become
weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not
give up. 10 Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all
people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
When I was growing up, I spent
my summers on the farm with my grandparents.
I was there when they used a
horse and a plow to prepare the fields for planting.
I remember walking the fleshly
plowed rows and dropping corn seeds. I
watched
the seeds planted sprout and
grow corn stocks with five to ten corn ears each.
Indeed we reaped what was
sown. The good news was, my grandparents, reaped
a thousandfold more than was
planted. There was corn for flour, meal, and corn
bread in the oven.
Likewise, when we plant
spiritual seeds of the Word of God into our families and
those around us, we will reap
a harvest of God’s goodness. When we sow seeds
of love and kindness, we will
reap love and kindness.
On the other hand, if we sow
bad seeds of corruption, we will reap corruption.
We sow our future by what we
do. The good we do for Christ stores up
treasures for a generous
harvest.
Rev. M. Mitchell
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