in expositional preaching. By doing that, I believe it keeps the Word of God in context. A lot of times when people go into topical preaching, they preach on a topic. What they do, they go to the text with the topic and they conform the text to their topic. So, I believe it's best we preach expository preaching. And as I say that, I did not want to get off text from where I've been for the past few Sundays. We're in the book of Galatians, in chapter 6. But I want, as we approach the passage of Scripture we're looking at this morning, I do believe it goes hand in hand with Brother Anthony and what he was teaching in the Sunday school class, as far as in serving the Lord and finding your place of service for the Lord. I want you to imagine with me, if you could, can you imagine wherever you go in life, every place you go in life, every person that you come in contact with in life, that Jesus would touch every person's heart and life that you come in contact with. Wouldn't that be great? With every person you talk to, everywhere you go, the love of Jesus Christ would affect people's hearts and lives. You know what? When Paul is writing the book of Galatians, the first four chapters, what he has done, he has approached a doctrinal problem. and he has attacked false teachers. They have crept in these different churches in the region of Galatia, and what they have been teaching is a works salvation. In other words, they've been teaching that you've got to believe and you're saved by grace, but it's by works also. They've been mixing works and grace. Now, as Paul is preaching the truth and correcting their errors, What he does in chapters 5 and 6, he puts it into practice. In other words, there's a doctrinal stance, but here is how you live it out. And as we look in chapter 5, I want to review a verse because I believe it's one of the most powerful verses that can affect your life and my life. As I've been pondering this verse of Scripture, In chapter 5 and verse 16, it has made such a different impression upon me that I've got to keep coming back to it and bouncing off of it and keep going forward. It has great implications. It has life-changing principles. It's so radical, I stand in awe of what God is saying here. And I pray that the truths that are taught by Paul would transform your life also. The Word of God says, in Galatians chapter 5 and verse 16, walk by the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Walk by the Spirit and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. Now, Paul is dealing with those who are trusting in works. There are certain believers that have fell back to this way of thinking. that you've got to do works to be accepted by God. The Word of God says, matter of fact, Paul brought it out in chapter 2 and verse 16. He says, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ. that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." In chapter 3 and verse 11, he says, "...but that no man is justified by the law, in the sight of God it is evident, the just shall live by faith." Paul is very persistent on this because he's saying, you cannot do good works to be accepted by God. The only way you can be accepted by God is through the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are certain people that have this mindset that they've got to do certain things. But what the Word of God is telling us in chapter 5 and verse 16, it's telling us to walk by the Spirit. The same principle is said, we are to be led by the Spirit of God. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. That's the same principle as walk by the Spirit. If you're led by the Spirit of God, you're a son of God, you're a child of God. The same principle is taught over there in Ephesians 5 and verse 18. The Word of God says in Ephesians 5 and verse 18, Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be ye filled with the Spirit. That's how we walk, by the Spirit. We're filled with the Spirit. It's equivalent to being filled, walked, led. And it's also equivalent to over there in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 16. The Word of God says, let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. As the Word of God dwells in your heart and life, you are led by the Spirit of God. You are filled by the Spirit of God. You walk by the Spirit of God. You walk by faith. You know what? This is a great message for us as believers because There are certain ones who have a performance mentality. And you know what? You've probably had that in your life at some point back and forth. Before we trusted Christ, we thought, God's going to strike me dead with lightning because I did something bad, or I did this, or I did that, and He's waiting to zap me. And then when we become a child of God, we revert back to that type of thinking sometimes, thinking, we've got to do certain things to be accepted by God. Let me tell you something, you can do nothing in the flesh that God will accept you for. The only way we're accepted by God is because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ was upon the cross, remember those last words he said, the Greek word, tetelestai, it is finished. Paid in full. There is nothing you can add to the finished work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the Word of God tells us, we're accepted in the Beloved. We're accepted because we're in Christ Jesus through faith. But there is still that performance mentality. I want you to notice here what the result is of walking by the Spirit. What happens when you walk by the Spirit? The Spirit of God that indwells every child of God will produce fruit. You know what? You cannot produce that fruit. The Spirit of God produces that fruit. and the fruit of the Spirit. It's singular. Notice what this multifaceted fruit is in verse 22. In chapter 5, it says the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. You might say, well, I got love, I got love. Well, you know what? If you don't know Jesus Christ, you don't have the love of God. And you know what the love of God does? The love of God causes you to love the unlovable. Even as He has loved us, He's called us to love others. Now, let me ask you, do you love like God loves? That's a big challenge. Walk by the Spirit. The Spirit of God produces that love in you. Joy. Do you have joy? You know, we sing that little kid song sometimes, I got joy down in my heart, deep, deep down in my heart. And Jesus gave it to me. No man can destroy it. You know what? I'm not always happy smiling. I smile a lot, but I don't smile all the time. But I've always got joy down in my heart because Jesus Christ. I'm walking by the Spirit. Therefore, the Spirit of God produces the fruit, and that fruit is joy deep down and in. Now, why do people revert back to a works mentality? Or, I've got to do something to be accepted by God. You know, it comes from the source of one of two problems. One, either the person is not genuinely saved, They may not have truly realized they're a sinner in the sight of God. They deserve the wrath of God. And God poured out His wrath upon His Son for those who believe in Him. And whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved, is what the Word of God tells us. There is that promise. That means you've got to wholeheartedly trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Not in anything yourself can do, but all the cause of what He's done for us. And once you believe in Him, totally trust in Him, the Word of God says you have eternal life. There are many people who've made a false profession. They say they believe, but you know what? Even the demons believe in the troubled. Now what does it mean? What's the difference here? You know what? Demons do not repent of their sin. A believer has repented of their sin. There's been a change of mind, a change of heart. And there's a new direction, a new walk, a new way of thinking, a new way of life. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things have become new. There's a radical transformation. The Spirit of God He seals the child of God. At the moment he trusts in Christ, you're sealed with the Spirit of God. That means, you know what? We're sealed until the day of redemption. He's there with us from now till the day of redemption when Christ comes back again. Now, if a person's believing in works, that means they've not wholeheartedly trusted in Jesus Christ. But you know what? There are some believers that have been born again, genuinely, like these believers in Galatia, these churches of Galatia. They have believed, but the false teacher has crept in among them and started teaching, you've got to be circumcised, you've got to observe holy days, you've got to observe this, you've got to do this, you've got to do that. You know what? The false teaching has led these believers, which are genuine believers, to start walking in the flesh. Now, you know what? If you're a child of God, you can walk in the flesh. And the Apostle Paul lists some of the works of the flesh, starting down in verse 19 and on down through verse 21. He just lists a few works of the flesh. So we come back to the passage of Scripture in chapter 5 and verse 16. Are we walking by the Spirit of God? Or are you trying to generate fruit? Are you personally trying to, well, I've got to love this person, so I guess I'll just love them. You know what? You ain't really loving them if you just, well, I've got to love them, I'll love them then. No, that ain't love. You know what? You're trying to generate a work that only the Spirit of God can work in you. And you know what? There's a lot of things, there's a lot of truths in God's Word that Satan has a counterfeit for. I believe there's a truth of God. Satan's got a counterfeit for that truth. I believe where the love of God is displayed, Satan's got a counterfeit love that he can fool people by. So as we look at this passage of Scripture, I want you to notice, as one yields his life to Christ, as he's filled with the Word of God, he is led by the Spirit, he walks by the Spirit, what happens, the Spirit of God within them produces love. And it is a love that flows. And you know what, we're filled to the brim with the love of God to where it overflows into people's lives. You know what, wherever we go in life, wherever we go, whether it's a grocery store, whether it's at work, whether it's at school, wherever we might be going, you know what, you're affecting people's lives with the love of Christ. That love is flowing if you're a child of God and you're walking by the Spirit. You know what? That's not something you're doing. You're not touching people's lives with Jesus. Jesus Christ, it's Him who works in you both the will and do of His good pleasure. He's working through you to affect people's lives. That love is flowing. And not only that, the joy that you have in Christ is growing. That joy is ever growing till one day we're going to see His face. And that peace is something that pervades the believer's life. It overcomes every aspect of the believer's life. In other words, when you get troubling news and you hear heartache and pains coming your way and you have all kinds of problems, you have the peace of God which passes all understanding because of the Spirit of God that's working in the child of God's heart and life. You see, this is something that only the Spirit of God can produce. So what we find in verse 25, it says, if we live in the Spirit... Now here is our position. We live in the Spirit. You become born again by the Spirit of God, by trusting in Jesus Christ, you're positionally in Christ. You are in the Beloved by faith. You're in Christ. That's what our position is in verse 25. If we live in the Spirit, Let us also walk in the Spirit. That's the practical part. If you are in Christ, you are to be walking by the Spirit of God, not walking after the flesh. And as you walk by the Spirit, the Spirit's producing fruit in you. That's why the Apostle Paul said back in Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20, it's no longer I that liveth, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live By faith. I live in the flesh. I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. You see, it's a life of faith. It's a walk of faith. It's walking by the Spirit. Charles Spurgeon once said, precious is this fruit, but don't put your fruit where the root should be. That's a profound statement. Don't put your fruit where the root should be. Here is the scenario. Here's how we live it out. The Word of God says in verse 26, let us not be desirous of vain glory. That's talking about don't be proud and don't be boastful because the Spirit of God is producing fruit in you. Don't be proud, don't be boastful, and don't provoke one another. That means don't irritate people. Now, do you know any believer that irritates another believer? I think there's quite a few in here. I hope it's not amongst each other in here that we're talking. Provoke not one another. Don't envy one another. What does it mean to envy one another? Envying one another is thinking ill of someone because you think that someone has an advantage. Don't think ill of someone else because you think they've got an advantage over you. Let us not be desirous of vainglory. Don't be boastful. Don't be proud. Oh, they could have come on in. They got the right door. Grab and check. Them knees don't work quick enough, do they? Let us not be desirous of vainglory. Here's how we walk by the Spirit. Don't be proud and boastful. Don't be provoking one another. And don't be envying or thinking ill because you think somebody else has got it better off than you do. Now, that's the scenario. So we get to chapter 6. And in chapter 6 and verse 1, I'd like for you to notice what the Word of God says. Galatians chapter 6 and verse 1, the Apostle Paul writes, Now, what is Paul doing? He is addressing a church family. He is addressing believers. He is addressing brothers and sisters in Christ. And as the Apostle Paul is addressing these brothers and sisters in this church family, I want you to notice, they have one Father just like us, and He is God. And you know what? We are all brothers and sisters in Christ by faith. We have one Father. And you know what that means? There's that old song we used to sing. We sing it sometimes now. I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God. And you know what? I'm part of that family and I'm glad. And you know what that means? That means you're my brother and you're my sister. Not in a fleshly way, not in a worldly way, but in a spiritual way. If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you're my brother. You're my sister. And you know what that means? I care for you. It means I love you. And you know what? If you're a member of New Life Baptist Church and you're not here, you are sorely missed. And you know what? There are some members missing this morning. They are missed because, let me tell you, this pastor loves them. And you as a member, you ought to love them too. Here is what it means to be a part of the family of God. You are by grace, you have been placed in New Life Baptist Church if you're a member. It's by the grace of God. God has placed you here and we're thankful you're part of New Life Baptist Church family. Now, let me ask you something. Do you seek the welfare of your brothers and sisters? Think with me for a moment. How many of y'all gotten a pet? Let me just see. Any kind of pet? Quite a few pets in here. How many of y'all got a dog pet? Quite a few doggies in here. How many of y'all ever, your dog run out the front door? And you had to run after that dog. Now let me ask you something, were you worried half to death when that dog got to running? I got a little old teeny dog, but boy that dog can book. And I remember when he was more of a puppy, he went running around the corner and I'm running after him. And there is just no way I'm gaining ground on this little doggie. He's a going, he's a going, finally I dive for him and I got him. Now, when he starts to run, and what happens, he runs himself to where he's got to make a deposit. It works his insides, and I can catch him easy that way. But you know what? When that dog's missing, or when your pet is missing, you get kind of worried, don't you? You would think your world's about to come to an end if you love your animal, your pet. Do you think the same way about a brother or sister in Christ when they stray away? Is your heart tugged and pulled for them as they have drifted away from the Lord? Hear what Paul is saying. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, he's talking about a brother or sister falling away, slipping away. And you know what? Automatically, we ought to have love one for another. Why is that? Because if you're walking by the Spirit, The Spirit of God is producing what? What's that first word? Love. He's producing love in your heart. And if He's producing love in your heart, you've got love for your brother and sister if you're walking by the Spirit. And so, therefore, notice what Paul goes on to say. If one is overtaken in a fault... Now, what does it mean to be overtaken? How many of y'all run? Just kind of jog, run? I remember one time I was jogging, running, and I'd done about three miles. I'm going down this sidewalk and I'm feeling good. I'm booking. But there somebody just started running and they just zipped by me. I was going like... You know what? They overtook me, didn't they? I was overtaken by somebody coming up behind me. Now hear what Paul is saying. He's saying if a believer in Christ is overtaken in a fault, that word overtaken, it means Someone sneaking up on you. Someone coming up behind you. And this particular instance is talking about sin. You know what? Before I believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, I used to chase sin. You know what I'm talking about? Anybody chase sin? You used to run hard after sin before you knew Christ. Then once you become a believer, you know what happens? Sin's chasing you. Now, what do you do? You know what? You'd better follow close to the Lord. And you'd better follow fast to the Lord because sin will overtake you if you don't now run it. Don't look back because too many people have fallen. Here, the word fault is talking about a slip or a stumble. It's not talking about a deliberate sin, like I see this and I'm going to get that and I'm going to just sin to my... No, that's not what it's talking about for a child of God. The child of God does not think about it that way because his heart's been changed, his life's been changed. And when the life is changed, therefore, sometimes we slip, don't we? You know what? It'd be neat to talk to old King David when we get to heaven. You know what? He slipped, didn't he? But he didn't stay in the miry pit of sin, did he? He was convicted of his sin. He turned from his sinfulness. And that's true of every child of God if we love the Lord. We'll be convicted of that sin and we'll follow back after Christ. Here is the response. One caught in sin is a response of those who have not yielded their life to Jesus Christ. You know anybody who's Living in sin? Let me get you to think personally. You know anybody living in sin? And you ever thought, well, I'd never, I'd never, not me, I'd never do that. You ever thought that? You better watch out if you think that way. God's Word is warning us here. There's a lot of people that are quick to condemn somebody who's fallen into sin. There's a lot of people who are ready to throw the first stone when their own life's a mess, isn't it? Now, you know what? The Word of God's not telling us to pick up a stone and condemn and throw it and kick them out. When a person's down, we don't kick them. What we do is we love them. And what the Word of God, its point is in chapter 6 and verse 1, is that we love them for the whole purpose of restoring them. Here is the whole purpose of discipline. It's that we might restore one back to where they should be in their walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. But too often in our Christian circles and too often in our churches, the first thing we hear somebody is in sin, we want to throw the axe down, throw the gauntlet down, get rid of them. They don't need to be in our church. You know what? The Word of God is telling us we need to try to restore them. That's different because what the flesh wants to do, the first thing the flesh wants to do, it wants to strike out with some discipline and cut them off. The first thing the Spirit wants to do is to restore such a one. Flesh has little love for a sinner, unless they're a sinner themselves and not a believer in Jesus Christ. And you know what? One sinner just loves another sinner. And they just go out and party and drink and do all kinds of crazy things. But don't you ever say, never. Don't you ever say, I'll never do something like that. Because you know what, more often than not, let me tell you, when I preach sometimes, God sends that message right back at me through the week. Man, you talk about tough. He tries me. Don't you ever say you'll never do such and such, because you don't know your sinful flesh. Here this sin is chose to do wrong by not yielding to Christ. Now, what are we to do? According to God's Word in chapter 6 and verse 1 in Galatians, what are we to do when someone is caught in a sin? That means if they're caught in a sin, you know about it. If you know about a brother or sister in Christ caught in a sin, what is your responsibility? What does God want you to do? I want you to notice what the Word of God says. It says, you which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness. I talked to a man just a couple of weeks ago, and you know what he told me as I was talking to him? I told him I was a pastor and I was sharing with him a little bit. He says, well, you know, I believe nobody should tell somebody else how to live. I'm going like, that's my job. I'm going to tell you. And you know what? If you're a child of God, you need to be telling people how they ought to live because the judgment of God is coming and the wrath of God abides upon the head of a sinner who knows not Jesus Christ. And you better be warning every man, teaching every man. And if you're not, you know what? You're disobedient to the Word of God. If we don't tell people how they should be living and getting their life right with the Lord, you know what? You don't love that person. And you're not walking by the Spirit. That's pretty bold language. You know what people say sometimes? The world loves to use this verse of Scripture. Judge not, judge not that you be not judged. You know what? The Word of God also says judge righteous judgment. You better balance that Scripture out. We live in a very liberal culture in society where the liberals are trying to push ungodly morals upon us. Now, let me tell you, I don't believe in homosexuality is the way a person's born. The Word of God says it's a sin. And if it's a sin, let me tell you something, God don't make you a sinner. You know what? You choose to sin. And when you choose a lifestyle, that's because of the wickedness of your heart if it's a sinful lifestyle. Now, you know what? groups are getting a lot more vocal. And you know what? They try to relate it to a lot of things which has no relation to. What homosexuality relates to, very simply according to God's Word, is sin. It is sin against God. You say, don't judge me. I'm going to judge you if the Word of God says it's sin. I'm going to tell you you're a sinner. Here, when one's caught up in a sin, what's your responsibility? The Word of God says, let those who are spiritual... Now, we've got to stop right there, because it's the spiritual one that's got to talk to this person. You might say, well, I'm spiritual. Are you? How do we discern if someone's spiritual? You know what? I hope the pastor's spiritual. But that don't necessarily mean he's spiritual just because he's the pastor. What does it mean for one to be spiritual? The Word of God simply means this. You need to be walking by the Spirit. If you're walking by the Spirit, you're a spiritual child of God. And if you're walking by the Spirit, then you can approach someone overtaken in a fault or sin, someone who stumbled, someone who slipped, You can approach that person. Now, why do I say that? Because I want you to notice what the Word of God says. You which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness. That word meekness is the same word back in the fruit of the Spirit, gentleness. So one who is walking by the Spirit, the Spirit of God, produces meekness in approaching people, or gentleness in approaching people. Has anybody in here ever run into somebody who's really super spiritual? What I mean by that is that if you did something wrong, they're going to come thump you on the head with the Bible and, man, they're going to rip you apart. They can't wait to tell you how it is. Anybody know anybody like that? You know, there are some people like that. That ain't a spiritual person according to the Word of God. They're not walking by the Spirit simply because the Word of God tells us we're to approach in a spirit of meekness. That's one whom the Spirit is working through, not one who is fleshly minded, quick to condemn and quick to just throw the arrows at. The Word of God says, you which are spiritual, you who are walking by the Spirit, your responsibility is to restore such a one. Now, what does that mean, restore? Anybody in here ever broke an arm? I never broke my arm. Never broke a bone, I don't think. What did they do when you went to the doctor? Did they have to set that bone back in place? If that bone is a break, they have to Now, did you have your bones set back in place, Brother Harry? Did it feel good? Woo! I seen a boy separate his shoulder on a basketball court one time, taking a dive, and man, he yelped out the pain. I can just imagine. The pain was just horrendous. And so when he got to the hospital, emergency room, I'm out in the waiting room. They got him in the back, and I can hear him all the way out in the waiting room in the emergency room. holler when they set that thing back in place. They had to jerk that bone and just, you hear a, ahhh, you know, it just roared. I'm going like, oh man, they're killing him. Wow! The same word here, restore, it means to set back in place. It means to mend. One who has fallen or slipped into sin, those which are spiritual are to put them back in place. Not just tell them about their wrong, but it's also a process of sticking with them and helping them through that. It's painful at first, but let me tell you something, it's profitable in the end, if one sinner repents. But don't neglect this part, the right attitude. The Word of God says, a spirit of meekness. That means you need to be gentle. The same Greek word, gentle and meekness. That's a fruit of the Spirit. It's only produced by the Spirit of God, by one who's walking by the Spirit. There are many people who will be ready to condemn. For those of us who walk by the Spirit, we are to seek to restore. That's your responsibility as a child of God. But there's a warning with this also. Notice in verse 1, the latter part of that verse, the Word of God says, considering yourself. That word considering, it means to have your eyes upon yourself. Look at yourself. Now that ain't talking about going to the mirror and gazing at yourself, how pretty you are. That's not what it's talking about. It's talking about when you're going to approach a sinner, You better watch yourself, lest what? Lest you also be tempted. You know what that's saying? That's saying you better watch out for yourself because your flesh is vulnerable. There ain't ne'er one of us in here that's not susceptible to sin. You don't believe me? You try God. I guarantee He'll show you the wickedness of your heart. He'll show you how weak your flesh is and how much you need to lean upon the Lord Jesus Christ. There's none of us that can live on our own. Jesus said, without Me you can do nothing. Therefore, we must rely upon Christ. You know what? Church members are interdependent upon each other. If you get out into sin, you know what that means? You're affecting the whole church body. You're affecting everybody within this body here. Your sin always affects others. Don't deceive yourself and say, well, this ain't affecting nobody but me. Uh-uh. Your life has an effect upon other people. My simple question to you this morning. I go back to Galatians 5, verse 16. Are you walking by the Spirit? Are you walking by the Spirit? Because Brother Anthony brought out in the Sunday School lesson this morning of how we can serve the Lord. Let me tell you the number one way a child of God can serve the Lord is simply walking by the Spirit. Because when you walk by the Spirit, you can then reach out and help other people's lives. It doesn't matter if you're the preacher. It doesn't matter if you're the piano player. It doesn't matter what you are. It doesn't matter if you're a newborn believer. If you're walking by the Spirit, the Spirit of God can use your life in affecting other people's lives. So are you walking by the Spirit? There's people in your life who you come in contact with, just like I started at the beginning of the service. or they'd be in touch by Jesus Christ working in your life and through your life. Do others sense the love of God working in you and through you? That can only be happening if you're walking by the Spirit. And that can only happen if you know the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you trusted Him as your Lord and Savior? Turning from your sin, putting all your weight upon His finished work upon the cross, are you trusting in Him and Him alone? We're going to give a hymn of invitation. And if your life is not right with Christ, we invite you to turn from sin, confess it. Very simply, confession means agreeing with God that you're a sinner. And that's making things right with God. Whoever confesses his sins and forsakes them, We'll find forgiveness. The Lord is ready to forgive. If you're a child of God or you walk in by the Spirit, is your life being used in such a way to affect other people around you, believers and unbelievers alike? Do others sense the love of God at work in your life? Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Our Father in heaven, we thank You for Your Word and the truths that transform our lives that, Lord, it's not of works lest any man should boast. You have called us to walk by Your Spirit, to yield to Your Spirit, yield to Your Word. And yet, Lord, there's many times we stumble, we slip, I pray that you would raise up godly men and women, godly children that would walk by your Spirit, that they might minister to so many needs within our society, that your name might be renowned throughout all the earth, and that men might come to know you and glorify your name, for you alone are worthy. We ask that you work an effectual work by your Spirit using your Word. For Lord, I can preach Your Word, but it's all in vain unless your Spirit effects people's hearts and lives. Convict of sinfulness, wrong ways of thinking, wrong ways of doing. Convince us of righteousness which can only be found in Jesus Christ. and of the judgment which is to come. Help us with a boldness in meekness and love. Teach and warn every man of your wrath to come.