Ron Dunn Podcast - Imperatives For A Caring Church

Episode Date: September 23, 2020

Ron Dunn begins a new sermon series "Galatians, Set Free...Staying Free"

I tell you, the Lord has blessed your church with an abundance of musical talent, and that is not to ever be underestimated. I thank God for it. I thank God that our religion is a singing religion. I have been talking about Israel. There's one that reminded me that when I was over there, the sound that keeps coming, I forget what they call that, the Islamic call to prayer, you know. You know, I think they ought to jazz that up a little bit, you know.

But it's the most depressing thing in the world. I mean, you know, I'm not making fun of them, I don't think, but I mean, it's just depressing, you know, and I feel like maybe if they had, you know, a guitar and a drum and, you know, a little bass fiddle, it'd kind of pick things up a little bit. But, and then, you know, you go to the Jewish synagogue and they sing, but it's more of a chant, you know. You don't feel like really getting up

and getting down, you know. But I'm glad that our faith is a singing faith. And I thank God for the musical talent that you have and that's coming along there. And I thank God for it. Well, it's good to see you all tonight. I want you to open your Bibles to the book of Galatians, chapter 5.

Galatians, chapter 5. And I am going to read beginning with verse 25 and read through verse 10 of chapter 6. Now, you know, of course, that the chapter divisions were not added to the Scriptures until about the 15th century. I'm glad they added them. It helps us in studying and keeping reference. But sometimes a chapter division kind of throws us off,

and we feel like it's stopped one discussion starting a brand new one. But that is not the case here in this passage. And so we're going to begin in chapter 5, verse 25, and read through the 10th verse of chapter 6, just as though there were no chapter division there. So he says in chapter 25, since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Brethren, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks that 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 someone else, for each one should bear his own burden. Anyone who receives instruction in the Word must share in all good things with his instructor. To 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. And 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 or the household of himself. Now, Paul is picturing the church here as a caring community, as a family. You'll notice chapter 6, verse 1, opens with the word brothers, brethren, and that chapter also closes with the word brethren. And in between he uses that expression,

the household or the family of believers. And what Paul is emphasizing is that we are a family, that we are brothers and sisters in Christ. And our conduct towards one another is determined by our opinion of ourselves. And he's going to talk about the conduct that we should have towards each other. But I want you to notice he is saying in that last part of chapter 5, if we live in the Spirit or since we derive our life from the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us keep in line with the Spirit. And then he says, let us not become conceited, boastful, or the idea is somebody that has a false illusion of himself, puffed up. That person is always doing one of two things, provoking, which means challenging, like combating someone,

challenging someone, and envying one another. Now, it's interesting. Here is a person who has conceded. I mean, he's filled with pride. He thinks more of himself than he ought to think. And he's boastful about whatever progress he may have made. Now, to those that he considers inferior to them, he's always provoking them, always challenging them in some way or another,

always showing them that he's better than they are and he's going to prove it. But to those that he knows are superior to him, he envies them, is jealous of them. And so a conceited person, a person who does not understand who and what he really is in Christ Jesus, who thinks more of himself than he ought to think, that he is the better member of the family, will always be intimidating those that he thinks are inferior and will always be envying and jealous of those that are superior. And so he says, you're not to do this. Don't do this. This is not what you're

to do, having walking in the Spirit. If you have been born again and you live by the Spirit, your life comes from the Holy Spirit who dwells within, then you ought to keep in step with the Spirit. And he talks about fulfilling the royal law, which is the law of love, and which is, by the way, the first fruit of the Spirit, as he mentions there in verse 22, but the fruit of the Spirit is love. And so we could say this, that a person's conduct towards everyone else ought to be one of love. Now you agree with me on that, won't you? Love one another. That's the new commandment that Jesus gave us. We're to love one another. He said, love your neighbor as yourself.

You do love yourself. Love one another. But you know, we talk a lot about love. We really do. And it's easy to talk about loving people in a general, abstract, vague way, you know. But it's a different matter to put that love into concrete, practical expressions. And that's what the Apostle Paul does in chapter 6. First of all, he paints the picture. Here is a family, a family that is united by their bond in Jesus Christ.

They derive their life from the Holy Spirit, and they derive their life from the Holy Spirit, and deriving their life from the Holy Spirit, then they want to make certain that they keep in step with the Spirit. That's a good military word, means to keep in step. And, well, how do you keep in step? And he tells us in that sixth chapter, there are four imperative verbs there, four commands that the Lord gives us, that the apostle gives us. And I would call these the imperatives for a caring community, for a caring church. What you and I are supposed to do as members of the same family for one another.

Now the first imperative that you find is right in verse 1. He says, Brother, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him. So the first practical mark of love among the brethren is restoring, a restoration. He says, if someone, if anyone is caught in a sin. Now the word caught there really means to be overtaken. It has the idea of happening suddenly.

And he's surprised at it. It's sort of like a person who has been walking in the Spirit. By the way, the word sin, translated sin there, means to fall out of step. And so you have this picture of walking in the Spirit and keeping step with the Spirit. But here's a man who suddenly steps aside and falls out of step with the Holy Spirit. And it is something not that he has planned, it is not premeditated,

but he's suddenly caught, he's suddenly overtaken. He's not talking about somebody who is continually living in a life of sin. I'm not saying we ought not to try to restore someone like that in the fellowship, but primarily he's saying this. If you see somebody in the family and, you know, suddenly without warning, they're kind of surprised, they just sort of get out of step with the Spirit,

which may mean they provoke or they're envious or they, in some other way, are being unloving towards their brethren or perhaps there's something in the world. He says, what are we to do? We are to restore that individual. That's a very interesting word, restore. It means to set a broken bone, and it's used in Mark of the apostles when they're mending their nets, putting it back together. And he says, you're a family, you're a body, and when one of the body falls into sin and is caught with the sin, that's like a part of the net being broken. And as long as the net is broken, that means you're not going to catch as many fish, you see. That's why they mend the nets every day. They would mend the nets.

Why? Because you've got to have those nets mended in order to catch the fish. And there is a sense in which you and I have to be practicing restoration, mending the nets, restoring these people. Why? Because you're not going to catch fish. You're not going to win the loss. The most ignorant person in the world,

most ignorant lost person in the world, knows that the outstanding mark of a Christian is supposed to be love. And I think we're having a difficult time overcoming today the world's perception of the church because the church is seen largely as judgmental of others and that we're always pouncing like hens will find a wounded hen

and they'll pounce on that wounded hen. And sad to say, that's kind of the truth. That's kind of the truth. I had an occasion several years ago, two or three years ago, not because I needed it, but I won't go into the details, but I had an occasion to sit in on a N.A. meeting, narcotics, A.A. and N.A. meeting, narcotics meeting. I was there as an observer. And, you know, I asked myself, what am I doing here?

Because, I mean, the people that were in that group were not people that, you know, I live next door to. I mean, there was one boy and his girlfriend that both of them had long hair, and they were in leather jackets, you know, and leather pants, and that jacket had chains all over it, you know, and they were wearing boots with chains on that, you know, and they had been into drugs and alcoholism and everything, and here was a homeless person, and here was, you know, I mean, here was an ex-convict, but there were two or three Christians in that group. And I sat there amazed at how frank they would be with each other. And they'd get up and tell, you know, what's going on in their life, and where they're

hurting, and where they're having a hard time. Afterwards, I talked to one of the Christians, and I said, what you said tonight was so frank and so open and so transparent. I said, would you ever, why do you say that here? I mean, would you ever say that in a church? He said, I'd never say this in a church. I said, why not? He said, I'm open here because I know there's nobody here that's going to condemn me. We've all experienced it.

But I feel like that if I were to say some of these things in a church, that there'd immediately be the condemnation and the judgment pouncing upon me. Now, when Paul says, if you see someone caught in a sin, he doesn't say to judge them and condemn them and criticize them. What does he say? He says to restore them, to bring them back into line, to say an encouraging word, to say something to them, to help them to be brought back and be mended as a part of the body of Christ.

Now it's interesting about who's to do this work. Notice he says, you who are spiritual should restore him. You who are spiritual should restore him. Now, who's he talking about? You who are spiritual. Is he talking about the spiritual elite? No, I think you could substitute the word spiritual,

substitute the word mature. You who are mature. For instance, I want you to turn back to Romans chapter 15 and chapter 1 for a moment. There's a very interesting statement. He says in Romans chapter 15 for a moment, there's a very interesting statement. He says in Romans chapter 15 verse 1, We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Now watch it.

We who are strong ought to bear, put up with, the failings of the weak. You know, I've been a pastor, and I did this, and I've heard other pastors do it. You know, the problem with our church is these weak people we have. These people that are weak in the faith. As a matter of fact, in chapter 14 of Romans verse 1, he says, Accept him whose faith is weak

without passing judgment. I want to tell you something. The problem in the church is not the weak believers. The problem in the church is the strong believers who aren't fulfilling their duty of bearing their problems

and helping them and accepting them and restoring them. It's the strong in the church. It's their responsibility. You know, we keep saying, man, if those weak people, if those immature people who really don't believe like they ought to believe and they're weak in their faith, if they just get strong, then our church could do great things.

Well, listen, who's supposed to make them strong? Whose responsibility is that? Those of you who are complaining about the weak. So he said it is to be the mature, those who consider themselves strong in the faith. They are to do the task of restoration. But notice the manner in which they're to do it, how they are to do it.

He says, do it gently, with meekness, watching yourself lest you yourself may be tempted why do you restore this brother gently and with meekness I mean you don't come in like a policeman you don't come in like a prosecuting attorney and tell him how bad he is and how awful he is. You gently, with meekness and gentleness, you restore him. Why?

Because, friend, the very same thing could happen to you. You know, we see this brother over here and we say, my goodness, do you see what he's done? We ought to kick him out. You might want to, you know, be a little bit gentle in your judgment of him because I tell you something, the same thing can happen to you.

Well, the first thing is this in a caring community in the family we are to restore those who have stepped out of line in the fellowship of the Spirit you know they have all of these a a classes and in a classes and all of this, and I thank God for them. I think they do a lot of good and everything. But I tell you, Brother Ted, it seems to me if there's any place where people ought to be able to stand and to say, I'm hurting and this, you know, I'm failing here,

it ought to be within the fellowship of the church. Most of us are scared to death to do it. Why? We're afraid of judgment. We're afraid of condemnation from other people. But that's a family. That's a family. In my own family. Talking about my family like my father and mother

and my brother and my wife. An old family. If I'm not able to unload myself there and share with them my burdens there and share with them, you know, the problems that I'm having, then where could I do it? Where else could I do it? That's what the family is for. And he says the church is a family. And the first command is we are to restore one another. The second imperative verb there is in verse 2. Bear ye one another's burdens,

and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ bear or carry one another's burdens now when we get over here to verse 5 he says for every man will carry his own burden burdens and another verse he says every man shall bear his own burden well we'll get to that in a moment but right here actually he's using two different greek words and the word burden here means a crushing load here here is a person in the church here is a person in the family that right now they're just they are so burdened and it's a crushing load, so much so that they're just not able to handle it. Like Paul, when he wrote in 2 Corinthians, he said he was in a situation where he despaired even of life.

And of course what he was doing, writing that, was trying to make the Corinthians understand because the Corinthians and some of the people who were leading them were criticizing Paul and judging Paul because of the problems he was having. And he said, I want you to understand that the trouble I had was beyond me. It was out of my hands, and it was beyond my ability to handle, so much so that I even despaired of life. And see, the problem with the Corinthian church is they wouldn't bear His load. They wouldn't bear His load. Now, I want to tell you something. I know I want to do something right now.

I want to ask you a question right now. How many of you right now, at this moment, are going through the greatest trial of your life? Would you raise your hand? You're not just going through the greatest trial of your life. Would you raise your hand? You're not just going through a trial, you're going through the greatest trial of your life. All right, there's two. How many of you right now are going through a trial?

Goodness, look at that. A burden, you have a burden that's just about to crush you. Listen, you know what? You and I are supposed to bear one of those burdens. It has the idea of going along and helping that person carry that load. To, in sympathy and in encouragement and in doing other things. There are a thousand ways that you can bear one another's burdens. But see, there are some burdens I can't bear by myself.

I felt like at times if I didn't have somebody to help me in this situation, I was despairing of my own life. And one of the things that I thank God for have been Christian friends through the years who have always been there and knew me and knew me too well and knew what I was going through and knew the burden that I was under and the trial that I was under.

And they'd come alongside and they'd say, let me help, let me pray with you, let me just be there for you. We're to bear one another's burdens. See, nobody can live the Christian life by themselves. You just can't. You're not strong enough. You know, I'm in many ways a very private person.

My wife, one of the first arguments we had when we were married, she used to say, you know, your problem is you just could live forever without people. She said, you're so independent and individualistic and so private, you just don't need people. Well, you know, fairly accurate. And you know, I always thought that if anything tragic ever happened in my life, I didn't want anybody around.

I discovered something, folks. I discovered one day how desperately I needed people, Christian people, just to be there, to put an arm, a hand on my arm or my shoulder, just to hug, just to be there, to put an arm, a hand on my arm or my shoulder, just to hug, just to be there. And he said, in doing this, you will fulfill the law of Christ, which is the law of love. Well, what did Christ do? He bore our burdens, right? And he's still bearing our burdens. first peter says we're to cast

all our care on him why because he cares for us no there is restoring there is bearing there is testing now uh he says bearing one another's burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Look at verse 3. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Now, what he means by that is

he just said you're to bear one another's burdens. But he said some of you think you're too good to do it. Some of you think so highly of yourself you think you're really something when you're really nothing you're really something and so it's just beneath you you know to get down and grovel with somebody else in their problem it's just beneath you to go out into some areas and minister to those who are in great need that that's just beneath you I mean you know I mean I'm glad I'd be happy to go out to country club and help people out there who are in distress you know

maybe they're having trouble with their pudding but are you telling me that there is this poor lower lower class family over here and they they're that's beneath me so he says not only should there be restoring and bearing but there should also be testing look look in verse 4 each one should test his own work then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to somebody else we're always comparing ourselves to somebody else well

so-and-so is not going out there so-and-so is not going out there. So-and-so is not doing that. And I'm doing as much as they're doing. Listen, stop comparing yourself to one another. That's not the test. Test your own work. Test your own work. And you know the word test there has the idea of exposing, of examining. Examine your own work. And if your own work is up to par then you'll have something to boast about but is that those of you that are too good are too busy to help somebody else to bear one another's burdens he said you need to test your own work and then comes that next statement for everyone shall bear his own load. The word load, it was used of a soldier's pack. And a soldier had a pack, and it was up to him to carry that pack.

It was not an unbearable burden. It was not a crushing burden. It was his task. It was his job. And so what the Apostle Paul is saying is this, are you carrying your own load? Are you carrying your load? Or are you letting somebody else, are you wanting somebody else to come along and take your load, your task, and do it for you? There's a load that each one of us is to bear, and we're not to shuffle it off on somebody else. So there must be a testing of ourselves,

an examination of ourselves. Test your own work before you judge somebody else, before you think you're doing enough, before you think you're doing enough, before you think you're too good to do certain things, what about the load that God has given you to carry? Are you doing your share? Are you carrying your load? Test yourself. You know, it'd be a wonderful thing, Pastor, if every member of your church would occasionally say okay I'm gonna sit down and evaluate evaluate my church work the work that I'm doing for the Lord am i am i carrying my load am I carrying my load and praying and and visiting and ensuring my faith am I carrying my load and teaching am I

carrying my load you know it would be amazing if we would all just sit down once in a while and evaluate our own actions, our own work. So, there's restoring, there's bearing, there's testing, and then there's sharing.

Listen, he says in verse 6, anyone who receives instruction in the Word must share There's testing, and then there's sharing. Listen. He says in verse 6, anyone who receives instruction in the Word must share all good things with his instructor. There's the basis of the pastor's salary right there. And a good text for a love offering. Well, there's it. I may just ought to stay there and say a little bit more about that. Let's read on.

Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows, and the one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction, and the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in well-doing, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Therefore, because that is so, therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, but especially to those who belong to the family of believers. There is to be sharing, sharing of our money, sharing of our heart, sharing of our time. We are, as we have opportunity, and I want to tell you something, folks. This life presents many an opportunity to do good to other people. Amen?

Amen? As you have opportunity. One's translation reads, as you have time. I don't like that translation because we say I'm too busy. I don't have time. No, I think the better translation is as you have opportunity.

I never forget one day I was in a meeting with the pastor and we'd finished the noon service but we were going out to eat and we were kind of in a meeting with Pastor, and we'd finished the noon service, but we were going out to eat, and we were kind of in a hurry, and so we came to his top light. We were the first ones, you know, at the light. And so we waited and waited for that light to change,

and just before the light changed, a pickup truck, one of these little Toyota-type pickup trucks came along. And the fellow was carrying a big old king-size mattress in that truck bed. And it just happened to slip off right there in the intersection. So he stopped his truck right there in the intersection. And our light turned green. But we couldn't go because right there in the intersection, and our light turned green. But we couldn't go because he was blocking the intersection. And so we sat there and watched him as he went around there.

And I tell you, a king-size mattress is not easy to handle. Here's one man. He'd get it up here, and then he'd fall down here, and he'd go back. I said, why doesn't somebody get out there and help him? And nobody did. Of course, I thought the pastor ought to do it, but I don't know. Folks, I had an opportunity to do good, and I didn't take it. I didn't share my time, my strength with Him.

Do good to all men. Do good to all men. I tell you, some people are, it's discouraging to work with. Some people are discouraging to work with and try to help. Have you ever tried to help somebody, you know, and they just don't come along? They just don't come along. I tell you, sometimes when you're trying

to help somebody who's an alcoholic or somebody who's been into drugs or somebody who just, you know, well, you know, I mean, you know, they just, and you work with them and you work with them and you work with them and they don't seem to be getting any better and, you know, after a while you just say, well, you know, let them stew in their own juice, you know. Now, listen to what Paul says.

And he says we're to do good to all people why because he says earlier he says let us not become weary and doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we don't give up we'll reap a harvest if we don't give up. Therefore, he says, as we have opportunity to let us do good to all men. So here's what Paul is saying. If I want to be, if we want to be, if village wants to be,

then I believe that it is a caring community, a family that cares for one another. And you'll be restoring those who have been overtaken in some sin. They've stepped out of line with the spirit. You'll be bearing one another's burdens. Some people have a crushing load. And you will in some way try to bear their burden you will you will test your own works make sure you're carrying your load

and then you will share all good things with the evangelist and with all of that, especially the household of the church. That's what the Pest Church hopes to apply. The Ron Dunn Podcast is available only for personal edification,

not to be duplicated, uploaded to the web, or resold without prior written consent. It is managed and operated by Sherwood Baptist Church. Thank you. scanned pages from a study Bible, please visit rondunn.com.