Welcome back, before the
break we were talking about
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Galatians 6 and the apostle
Paul's ammunition to bear
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one another's burdens.
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He talks about hearing
one another's burdens and
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fulfilling the law of Christ.
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What we have been discussing
Mark, is that we can't fulfill
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the law of Christ and be
indifferent to the needs of our
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fellow brothers
at the same time.
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If we are going to be
like Christ we can't have that
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indifference, we
have to a have compassion
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for those who are in need.
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- That's right person is
converted, Paul says Christ
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lives in me and we
know how Christ lives.
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Christ does not live
with that indifference towards
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people, so if we had that
indifference that should tell
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us we need a deeper experience.
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Well Jim we are going to
jump into chapter 6:3 and
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it says here in Galatians
6:3, "for if anyone thinks
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"himself to be something,
when he is nothing, he deceives
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"himself. But let each one
examine his own work, and then
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"he will have rejoicing
in himself alone, and not in
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"another. 5. For each one
shall bear his own load. "
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Now it is interesting, he
is going to make this point
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again more fully by
talking about repeat and sowing.
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In essence he is saying,
we need to be careful, it's a
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what do I want to say, it's
a characteristic of the fallen
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human condition to compare
ourselves with one another.
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In fact 2 Corinthians 10 it
has a piece of counsel we are
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going to look at,
2 Corinthians 10:12.
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Look at what the apostle
Paul says here, "for we dare not
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"class ourselves or
compare ourselves with those who
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"commended themselves, but
they measuring themselves by
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"themselves and comparing
themselves among themselves
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"are not wise. " Notice
they commend themselves, why?
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When you compare yourself
you can always find somebody
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that you appear
to be better than.
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The fact of the matter
is our standard is Christ.
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If we always look to Christ
it produces a total different
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realization of who we are.
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That is exactly right and
comparing ourselves to Christ is
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exactly where I
believe he is going.
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In verse 4 because he says,
"let each one," I am back in
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Galatians 6:4, "but let
each one examine his own work. "
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You know in 2 Corinthians
13:5 he also talks about how
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we should examine ourselves
whether we be in the faith.
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Well certainly we don't
want to spend all of our time
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looking at ourselves,
looking at our own faults.
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If we spend all of our
time doing that we will become
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discouraged and we will
forget that Christ is there to
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help us in our time of need.
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However, to ignore ourselves
and what is going on in
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terms of our own life and
how it compares to the life
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of Christ, it's
definitely not what the apostle
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Paul would have us to do.
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The idea here is
to focus on Christ.
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As we come close to Christ,
His goodness, pierces our soul
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and we are able then to evaluate
our life in light of the
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example of Christ.
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One of my favorite
statements is from a book called
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'Steps To Christ' where it
says that the closer we come
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to Christ, the more unworthy
we appear in our own eyes.
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So if we come close to Christ,
then we will be able to see
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our own need and we won't
think ourselves to be something.
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We won't be lifting ourselves
up above others, we are
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going to be able to see
ourselves the way we truly are.
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What truly is interesting
about that statement, and I am
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familiar with the one you
are bringing up in the book
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'Steps To Christ' it goes
on to say that the closer we
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come to Christ the more
faulty we appear in our own eyes
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and this is evidence of the
vivifying power, life-giving
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power of the Holy
Spirit has come upon us.
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We couldn't see our true
condition if it weren't for the
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Holy Spirit, so one minister
that I know made this point.
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When we begin to see our sinful-
ness we should take courage
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that we have enough of the
Holy Spirit to be able to see
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that amount of sinfulness
and that must be evidence to us
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that the Spirit is willing
and ready to do a work in our
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hearts that we
can't do for ourselves.
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That's right, when we
begin to sense the Holy Spirit
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pointing out those areas
of need, that is nothing less
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then the voice of Jesus
Christ Himself speaking to our
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souls, that is a
powerful thought.
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The reality is that when
I feel comfortable and feel
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good about how
things are going in my life,
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sometimes that is the most
dangerous position to be in.
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It is one I feel uncomfortable,
when I know that I am not
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exactly where I need to be
that the Lord Jesus is far more
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beautiful and gracious,
and far more principled than
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compassionate, all the
things that He is when I am
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looking at Him, I
am drawn out after Him.
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I'm at a certain level
of uncomfortableness and
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yet I know the voice of
Jesus is the One in my heart
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making me sense that.
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So it gives me
communion with Him.
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That's right, a Christian
life is a life of growth.
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A parent would be very
alarmed if they had a child that
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was born and at one
year of age stopped growing.
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Here six months later and
he is a year and a half and he
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hasn't grown from a time he
was a year old and then he is
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two years old and hasn't
grown at all the parent would
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have been to every doctor
in town and everything else.
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Too often as Christians we
are satisfied when we are in
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the same place we have
been for 5, 10, 20 years.
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- right! - so the Lord is
wanting us to do is see our
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weaknesses and examine our
own work, not that we would go
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around discouraged but to
prompt us to continue to reach
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out after Him so
we can continue to
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grow into Christ likeness.
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And we will be unable to relate
to others in the right way
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because rather than holding
ourselves above them we will
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be empathize with
them because we truly are
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no better then than they.
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Right, you know the other
thing is that this is not just
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good advice, this
is essential for us.
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This is what Paul makes a
point of in verse 5 when he
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says, "for each one
shall bear his own load. "
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In essence what he is
saying is, there is an
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accountability factor
here and ultimately as we bear
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one another's burdens
we seek to help others.
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We can't make, you can't
give a Christian experience
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to somebody else as much
as you can seek to bear their
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burdens, but we have
to answer for own choices.
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We have to answer our
own decisions and our own
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experience, or lack there of.
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So he says each one in essence,
is going to bear his own load.
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As he says that, he leads
into a very challenging few
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verses where he tries
to describe for them the
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difficulties they are going to
have if they accept this gospel
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of circumcision, or the
works of the law that is being
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presented to them by
these Judaizers Christians.
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If you look in verse 6, we
will pick up there and just
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read a few more verses.
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It says, "let him who is
taught the word share in all
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"good things with
him who teaches. "
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The idea here is the apostle
Paul, he himself is helping
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to bear the burdens of these
Galatians, seeking to reach
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those who have fallen
themselves which is this church.
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Many of these Gentile believers
have begun to go the way
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of these Judaizers teachers.
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He is saying that I am
trying to bear your burdens and
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share in the same and
have a burden for others.
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We need to be
bearing each other's burdens.
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Then he says in verse
7, "Do not be deceived,"
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that's important! "God is
not mocked; for whatever a man
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"sows, that he will also
reap. For he who sows to his
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"flash will also flesh
reap corruption, but he who sows
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"to the Spirit will of the
Spirit reap everlasting life. "
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The idea here is that
the apostle Paul is saying,
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you know this gospel of
circumcision, works of the law,
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it leaves you in the flesh.
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When you don't believe
in justification by faith in
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Christ, you don't see the
need for that union with Christ
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you don't receive the Spirit and
all that is left is the flesh.
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If you sow to your flesh
you will reap corruption.
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This is a very clear
warning that he is giving.
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You know I want to add to
that something that is very
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important here, he who sows
to his flesh will of the flesh
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reap corruption, this
is not an arbitrary decree
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from a God who is angry
because you chose something
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different than
what He asked you to do.
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God is trying to communicate
to us that the flesh brings
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corruption, sin has its
own penalty built-into it.
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God is not trying to keep
us from the fun things in life.
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God is trying to shield us
from things that would destroy
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us. - that's right you are
going to reap what you sow.
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That's why he says don't
be deceived, these people are
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trying to deceive him.
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There is a couple other passages
within Scripture that use
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those words, do not be deceived.
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One of them is when John
writes in 1 John 3:8, not to be
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deceived, he who
practices righteousness,
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he says, it is righteous.
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No one can claim righteousness
by circumcision and yet
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be practicing the
works of the flesh.
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He says if they do,
they are not righteous.
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He who practices
righteousness is righteous.
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Don't be deceived by that.
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And in another place James
says, don't be just hearers
00:09:09.38\00:09:12.88
of the law, but doers, or
hearers of the words but doers.
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Then he says if you are
just hearers of law you would be
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deceiving yourself, so the
ideas don't be deceived by the
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idea that you can just hear
the law, claim righteousness
00:09:24.56\00:09:28.26
through circumcision or
anything else, and yet be living
00:09:28.30\00:09:32.03
a life that is
not a righteous life.
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If you sow to the flesh you
are going to reap corruption.
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You are going to
reap what you sow,
00:09:37.77\00:09:39.77
it very clearly says that.
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But right after this he
says, if you sow to the Spirit,
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you're going to
reap everlasting life.
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Then he encourages them in
verse 9, "and let's not grow
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"weary while doing good,
for in due season we shall reap
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"if we do not lose heart. "
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Here he is helping these
Galatians to understand what
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they have done is that
they got weary in doing good.
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Back in Chapter 5:7 he said,
"you ran well, who hindered
00:10:03.73\00:10:07.94
"you from obeying the truth?"
00:10:07.97\00:10:09.44
That is exactly what he is
saying here, let's not grow
00:10:09.47\00:10:12.14
weary in doing good,
we are on the right track.
00:10:12.17\00:10:15.11
Don't grow weary and go
the easy route with these
00:10:15.18\00:10:18.05
false deceptions and the
idea is don't, if you stay with
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the Lord Jesus you
will reap everlasting life.
00:10:23.65\00:10:26.62
There is a verse that I
would like to look at on this
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point in Hebrews 10 that is
really powerfully illustrating
00:10:29.32\00:10:32.99
this, it's in verse 23.
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He says, Hebrews 10:23,
"let us hold fast the confession
00:10:34.76\00:10:40.34
"of our hope without
wavering for He who promised is
00:10:40.37\00:10:44.34
"faithful. " That is the
same thing he is saying in
00:10:44.41\00:10:48.14
Galatians, we will
reap if we don't lose heart.
00:10:48.18\00:10:51.88
He who promised is faithful,
if we keep with the Lord Jesus
00:10:51.91\00:10:56.42
and if we don't give
up because of the flesh's
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temptations we can be
sure that we are going to be
00:11:00.42\00:11:04.23
reaping everlasting life.
00:11:04.29\00:11:05.86
You know Jim, it is interesting
because the next verse
00:11:05.89\00:11:08.16
there in Hebrews says,
"let us consider one another
00:11:08.20\00:11:10.47
"in order to stir up
love and good works. "
00:11:10.50\00:11:12.80
The idea again is bearing
one another's burdens and that
00:11:12.83\00:11:16.57
takes us to the verse 10 in
Galatians 6:10 where he says,
00:11:16.60\00:11:20.84
"therefore, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to
00:11:20.88\00:11:25.08
"all, especially to those who
are of the household of faith. "
00:11:25.11\00:11:29.98
One thing that there is
heavy on my heart is how
00:11:30.02\00:11:33.59
Christians can be the
meanest to Christians.
00:11:33.62\00:11:37.09
We like to pick on each
other, I hear all the time
00:11:37.13\00:11:40.86
Christians getting on
all the bad Christians verses
00:11:40.90\00:11:44.53
giving them the
benefit of the doubt.
00:11:44.57\00:11:47.17
In seeking to guard
one another's reputations,
00:11:47.24\00:11:49.97
you can see a person on
the street and witness to them.
00:11:50.01\00:11:53.61
We are going to share
with them, we are going to talk
00:11:53.64\00:11:57.18
to them about Jesus.
00:11:57.21\00:11:58.55
We see somebody in church
and we hold a grudge with them
00:11:58.58\00:12:00.98
for 30 years, where
does this come from?
00:12:01.02\00:12:03.69
Certainly not from the
Spirit, it comes from a flesh.
00:12:03.72\00:12:07.09
The apostle urges us here
to do good to all especially
00:12:07.12\00:12:10.46
those of the household of faith.
00:12:10.49\00:12:11.83
Even Jesus said, that in
our worship if you come to the
00:12:11.86\00:12:14.46
altar and there remember
you have, someone has something
00:12:14.50\00:12:17.20
against you go
and make that right.
00:12:17.23\00:12:20.74
Have a burden for
reconciliation with one another.
00:12:20.80\00:12:23.77
Jesus said people will
know you are My disciples by the
00:12:23.81\00:12:27.88
love you have for one another.
00:12:27.91\00:12:29.44
So let us seek to bear one
another's burdens, to restore
00:12:29.48\00:12:32.68
others in the spirit of
gentleness, to love others as
00:12:32.75\00:12:35.92
Christ loved us.
00:12:35.95\00:12:38.09