Well, good morning to everyone. To look in our Bibles to the book of Galatians and chapter six, Paul's letter to the churches in the Roman province of Galatia is his greatest defense of the gospel. Perhaps Romans is his greatest exposition of the gospel. But here there is a fervency as he speaks against those false teachers. And now we're in chapters 5 and 6, and in chapter 6 we are drawing to the close of this book. Paul is drawing to a conclusion of his letter, and he's exhorting them to hold fast to the gospel, the gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. The Judaizers, those enemies of the gospel, They wanted to place a burden on the disciples, the burden of the covenant of works, to lay this on their shoulders, that they must perform personal, perfect, perpetual obedience in order to gain righteousness before God. Later, Peter would argue at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, he would say, Now therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke, notice that, a burden, and here a yoke, a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear. And Paul stirs up the believers at Galatia with similar words to resist being enslaved to a yoke of works righteousness, of self-righteousness. In fact, chapter 5 and verse 1, for freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. He's speaking of this works righteousness false gospel the idea that I can earn my approval with God. This is the false gospel of legalism. It's a heretical and carnal doctrine and it cannot save and instead it enslaves everyone who embraces the lie of works righteousness. And moreover, legalism not only cannot saves and brings the curse upon those who embrace it, but it also destroys the community of God's people. It gives a way to the flesh and it produces pride and selfishness and dissension. In fact, if you look back at Galatians 5 verse 15, but if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. And if you look down to verse 26, let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. These are the products, the works of the flesh that are the result of this false gospel. In contrast to that, the true gospel message produces humility, self-sacrifice. It produces Christ-like love through the Holy Spirit. In fact, chapter 5 and into chapter 6 is full of an emphasis on how the Spirit of God, through the gospel, the Spirit of God is the enablement of the Christian in order to, by love, serve one another. And so you notice those words through the Holy Spirit that I mentioned. The Spirit enables the believer to fulfill the law by lovingly bearing one another's burdens. The law of Christ is not burdensome. It is not slavish. Rather, the sacrificial love of Christ becomes both the source of our love and the standard of our love. We love as Christ and we love because we have been loved by Christ. You may remember the nine qualities of the fruit of the Spirit. In Galatians 5, 22 and 23, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The Puritan pastor, John Bunyan, he writes and says, No one can produce righteousness in themselves unless they have the root of righteousness, which is the Spirit of God that comes to us because we've been made the children of God. So the root of righteousness is the Spirit of God. We're inhabited. The Spirit of God lives in us. We are the temple of God, both collectively and individually. And your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The saving gospel fills both individual Christians and the whole congregation in a local assembly with the fruit of the Spirit. In fact, as we read the passage in verses 1-10 in chapter 6, you will notice that it alternates between emphasis on believers collectively and emphasis on the believers individually. When one person is walking in the Spirit, they strengthen the whole congregation. When one person is strengthened, the whole congregation is strengthened. And so the Spirit of God works both individually and collectively. If you notice this in verses that we've studied before, but verse 16 of chapter 5, by the Spirit. And verse 18, if you are led by the Spirit. And then in verse 25, if we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. If we are being led by the Spirit individually, then collectively we keep in step with the Spirit. We walk together like a mighty army, as it were. Now, let's look at Galatians 6, 1 through 10. And as we're reading this passage, take note of the balance here between the individual and the corporate, the fellowship of the church. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness, keeping watch on yourselves, lest you too be tempted. bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself, but let each one test his own work. And then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor, for each will have to bear his own load. Let the one who is taught the Word share all good things with the one who teaches. Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap life eternal. And let us not grow weary of doing good. For in due season we will reap if we will not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." Now the theme of what he is saying here is captured in verse 2 or summarized in verse 2. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Bear one another's burdens. Remember that the legalists were trying to bind a yoke, a burden on the backs of the disciples that they could not bear. They wanted to bind on them the covenant of works that would bind them to personal, perfect, perpetual obedience in order to gain a righteous standing before God. But Paul has made it clear that cursed is everyone who attempts to justify themselves through the law. There's no hope that way. But now Paul talks about how believers actually, through the gospel and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in them, bear burdens. This is not the burden of works righteousness. but the burden of caring and loving one another. And so he speaks here of numerous ways in which we bear the burdens and fulfill the law of Christ. So number one, in verses one through five, Paul calls us to bear the burden of restoring brothers, restoring sisters who fall into Christ. transgression. I'll read verse one again. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourselves lest you too be tempted. During the Christmas season of 2019, my wife and I had the great privilege of visiting our son and his family. his wife and our grandchildren in Germany. He was stationed there at the time. And we were there for almost a month. We were blessed to travel the country, visit a lot of Luther sites and Heidelberg and ate just outside where they wrote, next to the building where they wrote the Heidelberg Catechism. But without a doubt, my fondest memory of that trip was hiking in the Alps with my son and grandsons. It's hard to find the words to describe the joy that we spent together. It was invigorating. It was very cold, below freezing, and we ascended for a long time. just a gradual slope beside a mountain stream. And the beauty of it was amazing. The ice sculpted all over and coming down and pillars and stalactites. And it was amazing as we saw this God's decorations from just the ice itself. And then there was the Alps. You know, there's not a cathedral anywhere in the world that can compare to what God has done in his creation and they were so beautiful and, you know, you feel your smallness next to their magnificence. But soon our trail turned up the mountain and a lot of the hikers that we had been walking along with, they disappeared. They had returned. A lot of people only hiked that lower trail, and now we were going up, and the trail was covered with ice, and it was very steep. My son, Jonathan, went first, and he'd warn us sometimes about different things. He carried everything, and so he had the hard job, but he instructed my grandsons, his sons, to look after me. And they were so interested in making sure they gave me two hiking poles at that point. And they stayed at my side until we reached the summit and began the descent. And then I couldn't keep up with them as we were going down the mountain. But even my youngest grandson would take me by the arm to make sure I didn't slip. And I did slip. I fell a number of times because of the ice. But they frequently would ask me if I needed to stop and rest. And of course, you really couldn't sit down or anything. You just stick your poles in the trail, in the ice, and just stand there for a little while if you wanted to rest a little bit. But I will never forget the love and concern, how they helped me up when I fell. and how they looked after me, how they carried things for me, and how they were concerned about me. It's just a beautiful memory in my mind. And it is this kind of care, I think, that Paul is speaking of here in the walk of life. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. So Paul calls us to be mutual burden bearers in our sanctification. Now you may notice here in verse one that he refers to those who are spiritual. And this is a reference to the whole congregation. He has told us back as far as chapter three, that all believers have received the spirit of God, the promised Holy Spirit. God has sent his spirit into our hearts. All Christians are the spiritual. He's not referring to some elite group here who are assigned the responsibility of caring for a person who falls into transgression, but it is the responsibility of the whole body of Christ. And it's not that we descend in mass on one person who has sinned, but rather that we all, by the people that we know around us, are concerned and caring for them to help them in their repentance and help them in their recovery from any sin, any transgression that they may have fallen into. And so because the congregation has the Spirit of God, bears the fruit of the Spirit, then we are able, we are enabled to take the responsibility of caring for other people. This is a responsibility He is giving to us. And so even though we have the spirit, we can say this in another way, we also have the flesh. Do you remember how we defined the flesh? It's that insidious principle of human depravity that resides in us opposing the will of God. back in verse 17, he says, And so when he says, is caught. You could actually read the word nevertheless. If nevertheless, despite the fact that we have the Spirit of God, are led by the Spirit of God, walk in the Spirit, live by the Spirit, in spite of these advantages, we still, as those who are not yet glorified, we are partially sanctified and the possibility, yes, the likelihood of all of us falling into transgression at some point is there. And so consequently, when that happens, we do not want to be alone. We do not want to be isolated. Paul is saying by this that as a congregation, we need each other. That if we choose to live separately, if we choose to be loners with regard to the body of Christ, that we are in grave danger. Not only that, but we cannot help other people. We need each other. And so he says that we it's possible that we may be ensnared. And those of you that may help another person, he tells us that we're to do it with the spirit of gentleness. I take that to be the fruit of the Holy Spirit, not your spirit, but the Holy Spirit who produces gentleness in you as you deal with a sinning brother or sister because tomorrow it may be you that needs the rebuke. It may be you that needs the correction. It may be you that needs the encouragement in order to put one foot in front of the other. Now it is far different with regard to the legalist. They have no use for somebody who fails or falls. They are promoting themselves as those who've got it all together. They keep the letter of the law and they respond quite differently to a sinning brother or sister. They consider them damaged goods. They're out. They're finished with them. They don't care about them. But the Apostle Paul says that we should restore anyone who falls. The word restore is used in Ezra 4, rebuilding the walls. And so we're rebuilding each other when there is some failure and some sin in our lives, big or small. are caught in a transgression, and consequently, we need the help of being rebuilt, to be built up again. Restoring means to rebuild their faith, to rebuild their testimony. It's the same word that's used in Matthew 4 of the disciples mending their nets. They were fishermen. They were mending their nets, and that's the word here. And so it has to do with a kind of healing care And to be truthful, we need restoration all the time, don't we? All of us. We need restoration all the time. We need that word from the wife or the husband. We need that word from a brother or a sister. And this is why we want to restore others with meekness, manifesting the fruit of the Spirit. Matthew 18. Jesus gives us the instruction that if your brother has sinned, that you're to go to your brother, right? That's right. That's not the pastor. That's you. You're to go to your brother and you're to show them their sin and seek their repentance. And if they respond rightly, then you have obtained your brother. You've gained your brother. And he's able to continue on because you brought restoration into his spiritual life. And there are other steps that need to be taken, but let me just say, this takes place in the church all the time, where brothers and sisters speak to one another. You know, we may all know about it if there is unrepentance. But usually, believers respond repentantly. If someone comes, and listen, I have had, during my years, many people come and say, brother, you offended me. Sometimes in stronger words than that. Brother, you offended me. And frequently, I just have to hang my head and say, you're right, I have sinned against you. And so this is how the body of Christ keeps relationships refreshed through the ministry of the Holy Spirit so that we might bestow restoring grace on one another, confessing our sins and forgiving the sins of others. And he tells us in verse 2 that this is how you fulfill the law of Christ. It is by bearing one another's burdens. Bear one another's burdens. So this ministry of restoration is just one example of bearing the burdens of others. So what kind of burdens could he be talking about here? Well, It could be that they're just common struggles. Maybe someone, you know, their car is broke down, or their cars are broke down, or all three cars are broke down. and they simply need help in that situation. It could be a struggling marriage in which you might minister to that husband or to that wife words that strengthen them in maintaining their covenant. It could be that someone is sick or that they are suffering depression or discouragement. But whatever it may be, he's calling us here to come alongside, to take up the troubles of others as if it were our own, and to carry them. Bear one another's burdens. That's what I do. I take up your burden, and I carry it just as if it were my own. A few months ago, I came across a sheet of paper with 14 names on it. It's from many years ago. But we had a brother who was struggling with addiction. And I asked the church for 14 people who would take the initiative to talk to this brother, to call him, to visit him, to have coffee with him, whatever, every week. And I think we set some sort of length of time on it, that they would do that in order to give him accountability, in order to give him encouragement, to try to hold him so that he might overcome this addiction. We were trying to fulfill this, to bear his burdens with him, that it's not just him who is suffering, but we will suffer with him in order to strengthen him. And this, Paul says, is what fulfills the law of Christ. Now, what is the law of Christ? Well, it's the moral law summarized in the Ten Commandments. The moral law is eternal. It did not pass away when Jesus died on the cross. The moral law summarized in the Ten Commandments existed before Mount Sinai and the covenant of Moses, and it exists in the New Covenant. That's why you find The commands in the Ten Commandments, in the Decalogue, you find them appearing again under the New Covenant because they are the eternal representation, expression of the righteousness of God. They are a revelation of His will. This is how I please God is by doing these things. There may be some other things I could add to that. The law of Christ is the administration of the moral law by Christ our King under the new covenant. That's what it is. I think that I might even take a special Sunday evening for us to discuss the law of Christ. So the law of Christ is the law of Christ the King, the moral law, which is eternal, and it is administrated under the New Covenant. And you find that the New Covenant describes these things in great detail from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5 all the way through the rest of the New Testament. Christ is administrating his law and calling us to obedience and enabling us to obey through the Spirit of God. So even though the covenant of works and the law of Christ may have many of the same commandments, nevertheless they are entirely different. For the covenant of works was to give evidence to the fact that we cannot save ourselves. And the covenant of grace, the new covenant administrated by Christ is enabled by the Holy Spirit. He says, when he talks about the new covenant in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, I'll pour out my spirit upon them. I'll write my laws into their hearts. I will enable them to obey and they will fulfill righteousness. I'll wash them and they will be clean. And so that is the law of Christ. I'll say that one more time. It is the moral law summarized in the Ten Commandments and administrated by Christ our King under the new covenant that is ratified in the blood of Christ. I know there's so much more, but the law of Christ is the fulfillment of the law of love. In fact, if you look back at chapter 5 and verse 14, notice What it says, for the whole law is fulfilled in one word, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. And so here is the fulfillment of the law. This is the law of Christ. This is exemplified by Christ on the cross in his sacrifice, his sacrificial love for sinners. And now commanded to us here in 6, chapter 1, verse 1, where we are to, sorry, I'm losing my thought there, but 6, 1 says, you that are spiritual are to restore such a one. The same love that brought Christ to the cross brings you to the spirit of restoration with others. The Judaizers, they abused God's law. See, they misused the law of God. They turned it into a means of righteousness. But we can never attain righteousness, Galatians 3.11. Now, it's evident that no one is justified before God by the law. for the righteous shall live by faith. They use the law to punish transgressors, to cast them out without any effort, to gain their repentance or restore them. And their attitude is captured in verse three here, chapter six and verse three. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. There it is. That's the attitude of the legalist. He thinks he is something. He has a high opinion of himself. He boasts in his own righteousness. And he is self-deceived. He not only deceives others, but he is self-deceived. And these are false brothers who delighted in asserting their legal righteousness as proof that they were better than others and their high thoughts of themselves prevented them from being able to care for others. Now, I'm not trying to tell you everything about the process of church discipline or about calling people to repentance or by about forgiveness and restoration. I'm not trying, there's so much the Bible has to say about this, but I'm trying to tell you what Paul is saying here, that this is how spiritual people restore and strengthen others, and we don't do it like the legalist. Instead, verse four, but let each one test his own works. So the gospel shows us how to love a sinning brother, and we do so not in self-righteousness, but with self-judgment. So verse 4, but let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor, for each will have to bear his own load. And so he is not here talking about self-exaltation and self-promotion, but he's talking about those that humble themselves, that examine themselves before God, that judge themselves, rejoice in how the grace of God is at work in their life every day. And it is from their experience of God's grace in their own life that they can rejoice in caring for, helping, encouraging others. We all will give an account, right? Each one will bear his own load. Everyone will stand to give an account. And those are future verbs there. Each one will have to bear his own load. Perhaps a reference to the eschaton, I think so. And verse four, let each one test his own work. And then his reason to boast will be in himself. That is, it's future, that he will be rejoicing before the throne of God as one who experienced the grace of God in his own life for his own sins and his own failures. And that's the person who is fitted and suited by the Holy Spirit to restore and strengthen others. Now another element of burden here is to bear, number two, to bear the burden of caring for your teachers. So Galatians 6.6, let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches, that the one who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches. So let me just begin by saying, what does he mean by the word? The one who is taught the word, the one who is teaching the word, what does he mean? He is speaking here of the gospel message. It is the message of God. the saving message of the Bible. If you read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, under the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit, who produces faith in you, then you will come to the conclusion of the message of the gospel, that saving message. It is throughout and it is the work of pastors and teachers to instruct people in the message of the gospel throughout the entire scripture, the whole counsel of God. And so that is the word. Paul calls it the word of the cross. He calls it the word of reconciliation. It is the word of truth. Colossians 3.16, it is the word of Christ. That's what he's speaking of here. And so, how do we become these kind of people who are filled with the Spirit so that we can restore people, so that we can obey the Lord? Well, we fill ourselves, right? If you're going to be filled with the Spirit, you need to be filled with the Word. We need to fill ourselves with the Word of God. And I, you know, I'm not trying to paint a Christian as a ravenous beast. But we're to be so hungry for God's Word, and to know we need it, and to seek it, and to seek God in prayer. And as you are seeking these things, the Word of God and prayer, you are filled with the Word. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. teaching and counseling one another. That's certainly a parallel to the you that are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness. So we are through the word filled with the spirit so that we can obey the commandments of God. And he says, let him who is taught and him who is teaches, you notice they are similar words. It is the Greek word, the root is the Greek word where we get our word catechize or catechism. It means to instruct orally, to speak with the voice and for instruction. And so this is what we do. We do it by question and answer when we do the catechism on Wednesday evenings. But this is the work that is being done here, the sounding out of God's word. You remember in Luke chapter 1 and verse 4, Theophilus, that you might know the certainty of the word of the things in which you've been instructed. And again, he was a catechumen. He was being instructed in the word of God. And I know that J.I. Packer said, I am a catechist. And there's a little video. You can look it up and see it, but not now. And he talks about how his desire was to instruct people in the faith. And that's what's going on here. Because the pastors in Galatia were on the front lines. Yes, Paul is writing to them. He has fought the battles too. Pastor Paul is with them. But there were leaders and teachers there in Galatia, and they were fighting the fight of faith against those false brethren. These impressive intellectual legalists, perhaps funded by Jerusalem, and they themselves are leading people astray. And these teachers that are in the church here, these catechists, they are on the front lines of declaring the truth of the gospel to try to protect the flock of God. There are so many ways you can hear false doctrine, but we need our teachers in the church. And in order for them to labor in the word and doctrine, you remember that, to show double honor, 1 Timothy 5, yeah, right, 5, about verse 17 or so, those that are teaching the word, those that labor in the word and the doctrine, they're worthy, he says, of double honor. the honor of respect, but the honor of support. And so he says here to communicate, to fellowship with them in all good things. He's talking about provision. In order to strengthen the hands of those who are caring for you spiritually, they need time to be in the Word. You may remember when At times the prophets would rebuke the people of Israel because the Levites had gone back into the field. They were no longer doing the work of spiritual ministry to strengthen the faith of the people because they were hungry and they had to do other work. I heard recently of a man who is a teacher of God's Word. He's written numerous books. But he also has to drive an Uber in order to make ends meet. I remember a brother, the way I said that earlier, because there was a brother in Texas that I knew, and someone said, what are you doing driving a truck, driving a cement truck? He said, well, we were hungry. And so he was driving a truck. I thank God for the care that this church has shown toward me and all the pastors that have been here And so they need support so that they can labor in the Word and in doctrine. And that brings me to number three, to bear the burden of doing good to our neighbor. Persevering in doing good to our neighbor. Verse 7. Do not be deceived. So keep in mind they are deceivers. I think we need to interpret all of the verses here in light of the whole context. There are deceivers that are there who are seeking to draw them into a path of the flesh where they can exalt in themselves and boast in how righteous they are. And he says, do not be deceived, OK? These deceived people who want to deceive others, do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever one sows, that will he also reap. But for the one who sows to the flesh, will from the flesh reap corruption. And the one who sows to the spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life. Let us not grow weary in doing good. There it is, doing good. For in due season, we will reap if we do not give up. So then as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, especially to those who are of the household of faith. So these legalists, what are they doing? They're sowing to the flesh They're deceiving, confusing, bringing dissension. They're leading themselves to a harvest of ruin under God's judgment that is coming. but for those who are teaching, and believing, and embracing the truth of the gospel, and applying it, and walking in the Spirit, and living in the Spirit, and loving their brothers, and serving one another in love. For them, they are sowing to the Spirit, and they will of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And this is the distinction that he is drawing between these two lifestyles of sowing and reaping. Certainly it could have broader implications than this, because to sow to the spirit and to sow to the flesh are so clearly delineated. and they are such broad categories. But in this particular context, I think that is what it means. And so for us, to sow to the Spirit means that we bear one another's burdens. We bear the burden of restoring our brothers and sisters who might fall into sin. We bear the burden of strengthening the hands of those that preach and teach the gospel and are given to it vocationally. and caring for them. And we do it also by walking in the Spirit, living in the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, so that we fulfill the law in doing good to others. Not only our neighbors generally and the whole community, but especially to those within the body of Christ, to the household of faith. We have a special responsibility. God is giving us opportunities. And the fact is, is that sometimes we grow weary in well-doing. And we are tempted by this world to want to turn back to the self-oriented, self-involved life in which we concern ourselves only with our needs. This is why you give, is because you're concerned about the needs of the gospel in this world. You're concerned about the needs of others. And so you give unto the work of the gospel in the church. And this is why we look for opportunities. Are you looking for opportunities to help others, to serve others, to strengthen others? We do so because This is how we sow to the Spirit. Look again at verse 9. And let us not grow weary of doing good. For in due season we will reap if we do not give up. Do not give up, brothers and sisters. Persevere in doing good. Persevere in service to others. And maybe it's hard. Maybe you feel like, I'm too old now, and I really need somebody else to do this. Maybe you feel like that, well, I have so many other... Listen, until you cannot... You cannot, because you're providentially hindered from being able to serve, continue to serve. Seize whatever opportunities God puts in front of you. Be attentive to them. Help others in them. Even if it is mere prayer, and that's a terrible thing to say, even if it is only that you pray about something, that is service and ministry in the Spirit. And so let us, as we have opportunity, do good, and good to everyone, and especially those who are of the household of faith. May the God bless this message to our church family. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.