¹It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Anthony’s key points two weeks ago were:

Set free for Freedom;

Stand firm in your freedom

 

He mentioned that I would carry on from where he left on what it meant to walk in the Spirit. We must understand the chapters were added much, much later and they act as useful for referencing but not for dividing the subject. So what we read two weeks ago in chapter 5 flows without a break into chapter 6.  Our reading this morning, therefore begins at chapter 5:16 and goes through to the end of the letter.

 

 ¹⁶So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. ¹⁷For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

 ¹⁹The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹and 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.

 ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. ²⁵Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Galatians 6

 ¹Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. ²Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. ³If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, ⁵for each one should carry his own load.

 ⁶Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.

 

 ⁷Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸The 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. ⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

 

 

 ¹¹See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

 ¹²Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. ¹³Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. ¹⁴May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ¹⁵Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. ¹⁶Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.

 

 ¹⁷Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

 

 ¹⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

 

 You have just been released from Scrubs. You are free. What are you going to do?  Go back to the mates who got you there? Young people released from Feltham Young Offenders Institute are frequently picked up from the prison by drug dealers when they are released. Roaul Moat chose to spend his freedom killing or maiming those he hated, himself included.

 

What is freedom? To most of us it means the ability to do as we please.

The problem with that is what do I want? No, what do I really want? And that is where we rapidly find our freedom becomes a slavery in itself.

True freedom is freedom in the Spirit. We have it here:

¹⁷For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

 

Real freedom is in Christ, led by the Holy Spirit. There is no other freedom. Because all other ways lead to being forced to act against our wills. The heart of the problem is that our will has been perverted and only in Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit can it be renewed and set free.  So to be free we have to live by the Holy Spirit.

 

²⁵Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

 

So how do we keep in step with the Holy Spirit?

 Step 1: Express gentleness – a fruit of the Holy Spirit - in dealing with others. Instead of being conceited, provoking and envying each other.

 ¹Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.

When Paul speaks of you who are spiritual he may well have been sarcastic; the Judaizers were claiming to be more spiritual, damning everybody but themselves.

But we are to keep in step with the Holy Spirit. And Jesus was remarkably un-condemning of sin. He died for sin and he offered forgiveness and a non-condemnatory restoring. His line was ‘go and sin no more’. So we are to be quick to forgive, slow to condemn. The language here is quite significant. Paul says if someone is caught in a sin Sin traps us, puts us back into slavery. We who are spiritual in the genuine sense of the word, know only too well that we are sinners saved by grace. We fail time and again, trapped in a cycle of defeat. But that is not necessary. The Holy Spirit can transform us into people who bear the fruit of the Spirit. We can be free! And we can encourage one another to stand in our freedom. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. There is a Spiritual war going on and the tempter is good at getting through the armour especially when we are helping and encouraging one another. Jesus taught us to pray “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil” So watch yourself! And be particularly careful about thinking you are the spiritual one for pointing out the sins of others.

Jesus something to say on this subject:

 ³"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

That said and understood, it is necessary to show compassion to anyone who is entrapped by sin, especially in the fellowship of the church. The instruction here is to be gentle. Remember you are a sinner saved by grace. Remember Jesus was gentle with sinners without condoning sin. It is one of the purposes of the Holy Spirit in the world to convince of sin and righteousness and judgement so if we walk in step with the Holy Spirit, you will be acting in line with him if he calls you to speak to another about sin. Don’t expect a pleasant reaction! Most of us are aware of our sins and failure and don’t like being reminded about it. But we must encourage correct reactions and righteous behaviour in one another.

 

 Did you notice the apparent contradiction in this paragraph?

²Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.

⁵each one should carry his own load.

Paul is emphasising that the two strands individual responsibility and the working of the body of Christ responsibility for one another are meant to work in parallel.

However the NIV does not reveal the underlying greek. The ‘burdens’ in verse 2 are ‘barh’ is about weight, bearing you down. The word in verse 5 is φορτίον which is the cargo of a ship – its normal load. We are to carry our normal load. In Matthew 11:30 Jesus said his yoke is easy and his φορτίον is light whereas in Matthew 23:4 he complains bitterly that the Pharisees ⁴They tie up heavy loads βαρεα φορτίον and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

So carry you own bag but when someone else has one that is too heavy for them, share the weight of it.  That is why in our prayer times we often hear requests for people with cancer or illness. The load is too much, so you share it with the fellowship and we pray to God together for you and your friends. That happens here in church, in House groups, in prayer triplets, in Powerhouse and others times. And not only do we pray, we share the burden, sometimes financially, sometimes providing meals, sometimes transport to and from hospital and a host of other ways. So Christians are not a load of wimps that bleat over every problem but we know how to support one another in hard times. That is sometimes quite costly in time and money and energy but we do it because we want to express the life of the Holy Spirit in our lives and keep in step with his promptings.

 

Paul goes on to say that this sharing should extend to practical support of workers.

 ⁶Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.

So you employ me and soon Lucy and that must be seen as a work of the Holy Spirit. You are a model for other churches who have had large assets in the past, of how a small fellowship provides out of limited income for the work to continue. On this subject, the big concern for Lucy and Oli her fiancé is accommodation, so if you have ideas or information that may help share it!  But it is not just money, encouragement, support and even accepting leadership are good things to share with not only paid employers but everyone who teaches or leads in some way, House Group leaders in particular.

 

What follows is quite stern.

 ⁷Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸The 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. ⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

 

 Walking in the Spirit is not a walk in the park, it is a mountain road. The battle with sin is non-stop and depressing. Giving in to sin can lead to giving up. The Holy Spirit enables us to overcome temptation but it still requires our will and grit to do so. So don’t give up. Even when through we have not had anyone converted to Christ in the last few years and only one baptism in 5 years, don’t give up. Keep sowing.  Keep the faith that the Holy Spirit is still at work. Be faithful in telling the Good News even if it is not well received. The struggles of life can be overwhelming as week in and week out we hear of  and pray for others difficulties in life. The prayer dairy can become just a list of names. Don’t give up. Keep sowing! Keep praying, keep doing do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

 

  ¹¹See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

This implies that Paul has taken the scroll from the scribe and started writing himself. He is thought to have eye problems and anyway was not a professional writer. So in the original, now long lost, it would have been obvious that this was Paul writing. So what is so important that Paul wants to write it himself?

First,

 ¹²Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. ¹³Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh.

Notice how Paul touches on the motives behind those who want to add rituals to the gospel.

Good Impression well we all want that , don’t we? Respectability is a middle-class virtue and traps us in outward show rather than an inner walk n step with the Holy spirit.

Avoid persecution. Compromise with the Jewish community and reduce the tension. Persuade them Christians are really proselyte Jews. No way! The Good News is far too important for that. We should be in dialogue with other faiths whether Christian, Muslim, Hindu  or whatever. We are not seeking confrontation as some American right wing Christians are, but let us be quite clear, religion is not the way to God, Jesus is not just a prophet, he is the only Saviour and he is our God and the only true God.  The whole point is that religion lets you, ‘you are a failure’. Only Jesus takes the punishment for sin and says that you can be right with God.

 Boasting. If religion gets you to heaven, imagine what heaven will be like. How did you get here? ‘I got here by fasting 7 days out of 7’. ‘I memorised the Holy Book forwards, backwards, and sideways’, ‘ I knew all the answers at the pearly gates or grave version of “Who wants to be a millionaire”( The quiz venue depends on which religion you aspire to!). If you enjoy one-upmanship, do religion but it will not get you into heaven, only Jesus can do that.

If you want to boast, boast like this:

 ¹⁴May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Stop the world, I want to get off! You can in Jesus! The cross is the greatest event in human history. Better than the World Cup, greater than the Olympics. The cross is when God made it possible for humans to have a right relationship with him. Not based on competitive values but on the finished and complete sacrifice for sin.

Instead of being ashamed of our faith we should be proud of Jesus. He is our hero, our Saviour, our Champion, our Lord. The cross was a terrible thing, the worst punishment devised by men, but Jesus for joy that you could be saved, endured it, despising its shame. So celebrate the cross! That is what we do week by week either briefly in a morning service or at greater length in a Sunday evening. It is so important to us that we want to be reminded of it at least once a week.

But not only was it a great victory but I was the break with the world and its lusts and its sin and its boasting and its ritualism. Paul writing earlier in this letter said

  “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me

.Galatians 2:20

So keeping in step with the Holy Spirit requires us to surrender our lives to Jesus. Living in the Holy Spirit means living by faith in the Son of God.. So often we want to benefits of the gospel to be something for me but Jesus loved me and gave himself for me. So I in return live him and give myself to him. That is not an abdication of responsibility it is willing obedience to the one who loves me, working with the Holy Spirit who enables me. Here it is about being crucified to the world. The break with our culture has to be complete. Jesus said you can’t serve God and Mammon. So serve Jesus. His service is life and joy and peace.

 

 Paul ends with some passion, just as he began.

¹⁵Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. ¹⁶Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.

So I want to know are you born again of the Holy Spirit of God or are you just carrying out religious habits? The Good news is about new life in Jesus, not deadly rituals and ‘must do’ rules.

 ¹⁷Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

Paul had a pretty tough time in his travels. He carried scars from persecution both beatings and stoning. He was not about to give up on free salvation.

 ¹⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

He ends with benediction that grace should be ours, not rules but grace. Living in the Spirit is living in grace, showing the gentleness and care that Jesus showed, not growing weary of doing good, boasting only in the cross of Jesus, being crucified to the world.

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