All right, Galatians. I want to look for a moment where
we left off this morning. Galatians 5. Would you look at
that scripture for just a few moments? Now the subject tonight
is the believer's fruit or the believer's works. This morning
the believer's hope. And tonight we're going to talk
about the believer's fruit, or works. And let's look, beginning
with verse 19 of Galatians 5, for just a moment. Now the works
of the flesh, works of the flesh are manifested. Which are these?
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred. variance, emulations, wrath,
strife, sedition, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, reveling,
and such like. Of the which I tell you before,
as I've told you in time past, that they which do such things
shall not inherit the kingdom of God. That's the works of the
flesh. Now verse 22, but the fruit,
and notice this word is not fruits. This is the fruit of the spirit. It's not fruits. It's the fruit
of the spirit. In other words, if you have joy,
you also have love. No way to have joy and not have
love. If you have If you have patience,
you have peace. If you have goodness, you have
faith. So this is the fruit. And not
only is it singular, the fruit, but it's the fruit of the Spirit.
It's not my fruit. It's not my words. It's the fruit
of the Spirit. That's what he said. But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy. peace, long-suffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such there is no love.
This is the fruit of the Spirit. Our Lord said this. It's not
our fruit, it's His. Listen to it. Let me just read
you from John 15. Our Lord said, Abide in me and
I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself. It's impossible
for any human being to produce this fruit. Love, joy, peace,
patience, gentleness, goodness, faith. Faith's the gift of God. Repentance is the gift of God.
Grace is the gift of God. So about in me and I in you as
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself. He that abideth in
me, and I in him, the same, bringeth forth much fruit. But it's the
fruit of the Spirit. That's right. The vine brings
forth the fruit, but it's the fruit of the Spirit. And thirdly, you notice this.
And the fruit of the Spirit is in every believer, to some degree. some degree. You can't have love
and not have Christ. You can't have peace and not
have his faith. You have to have all of it to
some degree. That's what I'm saying. And it
grows. This fruit of the Spirit, it
grows. You don't have it at maturity.
When God gives you love, you grow in love. You grow in peace. You grow in grace, you grow in
patience, long-suffering. It grows. Turn to Matthew 13. Let's hear the Lord say something
about this. In Matthew 13, verse 23. Matthew 13, 23. Listen to this.
You're talking about the parable of the sower now. Matthew 13,
23. But he that receives seed into the good ground. This is
every believer now. He receives this seed in good
ground. God made the ground good and
God sowed the seed. And he that received the seed
into good ground is he that hears the word. Got to hear the word. And understands it. He hears
the gospel and understands the gospel. And he brings forth. He will bring forth. He has to.
He has to, because it's God's garden, God's a husbandman, God
planted the seed, and I guarantee you God's going to make that
seed grow. He'll bring forth. Now watch
this. Some a hundredfold, but some sixty, and some thirty. You see the elders in Christ,
the young men in Christ, the babes in Christ, they don't all
have the same amount of fruit or or depth of fruit or the maturity
of fruit, you have to grow. He that receives the seed on
the good ground, he receives it, understands it, believes
it, he produces fruit. It's the fruit of the Spirit.
It's the fruit of God. Let me show you another scripture.
Turn to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. And this 2 Thessalonians chapter
1, this further spirit, it grows,
it grows. As the years pass, as the trials
come and go, as the suffering and experiences and The knowledge
of the word and you grow, grow in grace and the knowledge of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Desire the sincere milk of the
word that you may grow thereby. Grow what? Tall or no, in fruit. Now watch this 2 Thessalonians
chapter 1 verse 3. We're bound to thank God always
for you brethren. Talking about believers. as it
is me, because your faith groweth exceedingly. Your faith grows
exceedingly. You know what the Lord said to
the, the disciples said to the Lord one day, Lord increase our
faith, increase our faith. That's when the Lord asked him
this, about forgiving. He said how many times am I supposed
to forgive him? Seven times? He said seventy
times. And the more you forgive, the
more you grow. No you don't. Your faith growing exceedingly. And the charity, the love and
alms and goodness of every one of you towards one another, what
does it do? Dries up? Oh no, it abounds you. It abounds you. It abounds you. So now chapter 6. So therefore,
I'm going to talk about this fruit, the believer's works,
that which is the result of faith and the experience of faith. So here's the question. Here's
our attitude toward other people, especially those who are weak,
especially our attitude toward those that are weak. If a man,
we're talking about believers now, if a man be overtaken in
a fault, you which are spiritual, you which are mature, you've
grown up a little bit, you're able to understand some things
better, you which are spiritual, if a man be overtaken in a fault,
you which are spiritual, restore him. Restore such a one in the
spirit of meekness. Concealing yourself, lest you
also be tempted. Now we're redeemed, we're children
of God. This is a group of believers here. Some of us are older and
some of us are younger. But all of us are sinners. And
all of us, even though we're believers, we're still in the
flesh. And we still reside in a body
of flesh. And the motions of sin are still
in us. I don't care how old you are,
how mature you are, how you've grown in grace, those motions
of sin, pride, envy, jealousy, temptation, these things are
there. They're there. And the potential
to follow is in every believer. Let him that thinketh he standeth,
take heed, because he's on his way down. That's just so. The potential there. Therefore,
if a brother, one who is a brother, a brother or sister, fall into
sin, into sin, the sin of spirit, the sin of attitude, the sin
of flesh, whatever the sin is, you who believe, you are the
brother, What is to be my attitude towards this man or this woman
that follows? What is to be my attitude? Censor
him? Cut him off? Cast him out? Oh no. What does he say? He says,
restore him. Restore him, restore him, recover
him. Forgive him. And quickly resettle
the fellowship. Resettle the problem. Embracing, loving, understand. That's right. And two things
we want to remember while we're doing this restoring. Consider
yourself, lest you also be tempted. Keep that always in mind, always
in your heart. When you see a brother fail or
fall, just reach out and guide him. Hold him to you and love
him. Tell him you understand that
one for the grace of God, the position would be reversed. That's
exactly right. It would be reversed. Now what's
that next verse? So bar, verse 2, bar ye one another's
burdens. What does that mean? Bar and
forbear. What are these burdens? It's
our weaknesses. We all have them. Our infirmities. We all have them. Our frailty. We all have them. So let's bear and forebear with
one another. If you look at Galatians 5 verse
14, here's the key. For all the law is fulfilled
in one way, even in this, love your neighbor as yourself. That's to be our attitude. toward
all believers, no matter what takes place or what happens,
just forgive. Forgive as God, for Christ's
sake, forgave us. And that goes on every day, doesn't
it? Why would I be otherwise? All right, here's the second
thing, now verse 3 through 5, our attitude toward ourselves.
He says in verse 3, if a man think himself to be something
when he's nothing, he deceives himself. This is our attitude toward ourselves.
Why would a believer think himself to be something when he's nothing?
The Bible tells us that over and over again that without Christ
we're nothing. Look at 1 Corinthians a minute,
the Apostle Paul. deals with this in 1 Corinthians
chapter 3. Listen to this. Why would a believer
think himself to be something? He says here in 1 Corinthians
3 verse 5. Who is Paul? Who is Apollos? But ministers, by whom you believe,
even as the Lord gave to every man, are planted. Apollos watered
God gave the increase, so neither is he that planteth anything,
neither he that watereth, but God giveth the increase. I'm
not anything. Just an estimate God uses to
bless his people, to help his people. That's right. The scripture says over here
in 1 Corinthians 4, listen to this, see if I can, yeah, who
maketh you to differ? Who makes you to differ? 1 Corinthians
4 verse 7. What do you have that you didn't
receive? What do you have that we didn't receive? You have to
believe. You mentioned that in your prayer. Everything I have,
everything I know, everything I am, everything I hope to be.
You find here in the prayer. Who maketh you to
differ? Now, if you did receive it, why would you glory as if
you didn't receive it? Why would anybody? who's a believer,
compare himself with somebody else. Thank you God, I'm not
like other men. That's not even in your vocabulary,
is it? I thank you God that I do this,
that, and the other. I'm not like this publican. You
don't even think about that. Not a believer. No, he doesn't. You don't compare yourself with
others. You know, in other words, let
me read this to you. I'll turn quickly to it, but
this is in 2 Corinthians chapter 10. Paul said this, listen, in
2 Corinthians, we dare not, 2 Corinthians 10, 12, we dare not make ourselves
of that number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves,
brag on themselves, but they measure themselves by themselves,
and compare themselves with themselves, and that's not wise. Don't do
it. Just don't do that. And then verse 4, look at Galatians
5, in verse 3 he said, If a man think himself to be something
when he's nothing, oh, he deceived himself. You don't think that.
I know you don't. But here he says that every man,
now watch this. This is interesting. I'm going
to help you with this if you'll listen real carefully. Let every
man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself
alone, not in another, not comparing himself with somebody else. Now
listen, I'll tell you what Paul is saying here. He says let a
man examine himself and his ministry, and his stewardship, and his
conduct, and his work in the life that God gives him, in the
life that God gives him. And if he can see some growth,
if he can see some maturity, some spiritual maturity, and
he can see some growth and grace, then he's able to rejoice in
himself. Well, in a sense. But he rejoices
in what God's done for him. That's what he's rejoicing in.
He's rejoicing that he's able to love, that he's able to give.
that he's able to be kind, that he's able to be at peace, that
he's able to forgive people. If we're able to do this, man
can rejoice, but not comparing himself with somebody else. That's
what he's saying now. Not in comparing himself with
what somebody else does, or what somebody else believes, or what
another person has. So if a man has a work, a gift,
stewardship and God's enabled him to grow in grace and grow
in faith and grow in understanding and grow in love and grow in
patience and give other people, forgive them. Let him rejoice
that God's been so good to him. Let him rejoice. We're going
to grow in grace, we will, and we know it, but we rejoice in
God's You understand what he's saying? You rejoice in that.
And you can rejoice not comparing yourself to somebody else. You
don't say, well I'm growing faster than you. You wouldn't dare do
that. If you grow, you grow. And you're
glad you are. And you rejoice that you have
that goodness of God. If you have anything, the worst
verse is verse 5. Now let every man bear his own
burden. What's this saying now? Said
this back there, bear you one another's burden. Forbear and
bear one another's infirmities and frailties and weaknesses. Just understand. Now, you bear
your own burden. What's that saying there? You
bear your own work. You perform your own task, you
perform your own service as unto the Lord. And if I can find a
little trace of grace, God gave it to me. If I can find a little
bit of love, God gave it to me. If I can find the spirit of forgiveness,
God gave it to me. Everyone to bear his own burden, his own stewardship. All right,
here's the third thing now we look at in verse 6. Our attitude
towards stewardship. Stewardship. I know back in the
old Methodist churches, they used to have Stewardship Sunday.
That's just one thing, just take up money. Take up money. All
the stewards went around to get people to take up money. But
there's a stewardship of time. There's a stewardship in labor,
in witnessing, in preaching. There's a stewardship in everybody. We're stewards of God. Let me
read that in 1 Peter chapter 4. There's a stewardship. Every man and woman in the kingdom
of God has a stewardship, a responsibility before God. 1 Peter chapter 4. 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 8. All right, have it, 1 Peter 4
verse 8. Now, above all things, have fervent love among yourselves. For love covers the multitude
of infirmities and weaknesses and failures and sins. And use
hospitality one to another without grudging. God loves a cheerful
giver. Use hospitality and kindness
without grudging. And as every man hath received
the gift, as every man hath received the gift. Now let's go back a
minute. Hold that right there. Hold that
verse right there. It says as every man hath received
the gift. Go back to Romans 12 just a minute
and see if we don't find some help right here on this. In Romans
12, as every man hath received the gift, a gift of stewardship,
a gift of whatever. I'll show you some of this in
Romans chapter 12, verse 6. You got it? Romans 12, verse 6. Having then,
well verse 5, so we being many are one body in Christ, but every
one members one of another. Having then gifts according to
the grace that's given to us, whether prophecy, let us preach,
prophesy according to the portion of faith, or ministry, what is
your ministry? Anything that has to do with
the things of God, the kingdom of God, everybody's got a ministry.
Or ministry, let's wait on our ministry. Or teaching, got a
gift, he's a teacher. Or he that exhorteth, he that
encourages others and witnesses, then he's got a gift of exhortation. He that giveth, the person is
blessed with the ability to give. Let him do it with liberality
or simplicity. He that ruleth, you rule a house,
you've got children, your teachers rule a classroom. You've got
to, you that rule, do it how? Do it with diligence. Everybody's
got a stewardship. He that showeth mercy, that's
everybody. Show a little mercy. Spread a
little sunshine. Spread a little sunshine, a little
light. So everybody's got a gift. And down here, that love, everybody's
got the gift of love without dissimulation. I'll go back to
1 Peter 4. Let's see if this doesn't help
me and you. So 1 Peter 4, verse 10, as every
man has to receive the gift, everybody's got a gift. Everybody's
got a stewardship. Everybody's got a ministry. Everybody's
got something to do in the kingdom of God for the glory of God and
the good of each other. Even so, minister the same gift,
the same one to another, the same gift one to another. as good stewards of the manifold
grace of God. I got a stewardship. I'm going
to give it what I have. That's what he's saying over
here in Galatians now. Let's look at that stewardship
a minute. In Galatians chapter 6, verse 6. Now, verse 6. Let him
that's taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all
good things. Pastors, teachers, missionaries. You just had a
missionary came here, showed the slides, went back to Mexico.
They're starting to go get some land and build a building and
start a new school down there. And that costs money. And you
were so generous and kind to, I think, It's tremendous the way you've
taken care of the pastors and teachers and missionaries. So they that teach you the word
of God, you communicate with them in all good things. That's
what he's talking about there. Contribute to them. Alright,
look at verse 7. Now you know, I don't think Paul
is talking here in verse 7 to believers. I think he's talking
to people who are deceived and who mock God. In other words,
listen to this. Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Here's a warning to unbelievers
and those who are not generous and those who are not good stewards
and those who do not give an account of their ministry. Don't
be deceived. God is not to be deluded. God
is not to be deceived. God is not to be trifled with.
Whatever a man says, that's what he's going to read. Whatever
a man is, is what he will be. Whatever a man says, that's what
he's going to read. Now that's not, that's not talking
about believers now. That's talking about people in
the sea, they see, deluded, and mock God. And they're going, they're going
They're going to reap what they sow, and here's what it is. Look
at verse 9, 8. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh
reap corruption. Here's a man that all he cares
about is material things, physical things, fleshly things, all these
things. His whole life has been wrapped
up in himself. in what he has and what he can
get and what he can do, physical, material, fleshly, devotes his
time, his strength, his substance to pamper his flesh, to provide
for himself, please his flesh. One day he's going to reap. Reap
what? Reap what that flesh sowed. He's
going to reap what that flesh and the world produces. What
is it? Corruption. corruption, decay, and death. But, now here is, we're talking
about somebody else now, but he that sows to the Spirit, here's
a man and woman, a young person that has a ministry. We read
about in 12, chapter 12, verse 6, that ministry we talked about
a while ago, that grace and goodness and things of that, let me just
look at refresh my mind right here at 12. We've got a ministry,
teaching, exhorting, giving, ruling, showing mercy, being
loved. If he sows, the person who devotes
his time, his strength, his thoughts, his substance to seeking first
the kingdom of God and the well-being and welfare of God's people,
he's going to reap life everlasting. That's what that said. He's going
to reap life everlasting. So, here's our attitude towards
God's providence in verse 9. So, let's not be weary in well-doing. Let's not be weary in kindness
and teaching and witnessing and praying and giving and sharing
and helping others. Let's don't get tired now. Don't
be weary. Oh, we'll have disappointments.
Sure you are. You're going to have failures.
Sure you will. You're going to have criticism.
You're going to have misunderstanding. But this is not my work, it's
His work. This is God's work. This is His
gift, not my gift. These are His sheep, they're
not my sheep. So I guarantee you this, don't be weary in well-doing,
for in due season we'll reap. Cast your bread on the water.
I heard somebody say one time, that's sowing rice. Those rice
fields in Louisiana are just full of water. You sow your rice,
you can't even see it. The poor church doesn't put it
there, but it grows in the in the water. And you cast it to
the water, cast your seed and forget about it. And it will
come forth in his time. You reap in whose time? In his
time. You see, we reap in his time,
not ours. The results are not calculated
now, they are calculated when he comes. when he comes. His purposes will ripen fast,
unfolding every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste,
but sweet will be the flower. You fearful saints, fresh courage
take. The clouds you so much dread
are big with God's mercies and will break with blessings on
your head. So look at verse 10. So as you
have an opportunity, and we have them, don't We have them every
day. As you have opportunity, as the
occasion is presented, as the person is before you, as the
Lord gives you the ability and the means, let's do good. Let's do good
to everybody. That's right. You don't even know down the
street. Show a little kindness. Show a little affection. Show
a little tenderness. The girl that works for you.
The boy that cuts your yard. Yeah, let's do good to all men.
All men. That's what he said. Especially
of the household affairs. Especially you. But not you,
but everybody. Show a little kindness. Most
of the time you get pretty much what you put out. You go in and find some person
working there and they're on edge. Well, show them a little
biteness. Don't get on edge with them.
You've got to put conflict there. Show a little kindness. Show
a little kindness. All right, here's my fifth point.
What we're going to have is our attitude towards false preachers.
Look here at verse 12. As many as desire to make a fair
show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised, only lest
they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. We're
talking about false preachers now. For neither they themselves
are circumcised, neither they themselves who are circumcised
keep the law. They don't keep the law. But
they desire to have you circumcised, that they may glow in your flesh. This world is full of false preachers.
False prophets, preachers. They do what they do to be seen
of men. That's just so. Their religion is an outward
show. That's what Paul's saying here. In observance of days and
duties and laws and rituals. They congratulate one another
on their spirituality. They congratulate one another
on their times of devotion. They brag on their converts.
But they don't keep the law. But they constrain you to be
circumcised that they may glory in your flesh. What did our Lord
say about those people? He said, leave them alone. Can you do that? Leave them alone. Just leave them alone. They're
blind leaders of the blind. If the blind lead the blind,
they're going to fall in the ditch. So leave them alone. I
have a message to preach. It's not a negative message.
It's not preaching what the false preachers are preaching. I'm
preaching what the Lord Jesus Christ sent me to preach. Leave
them alone. You hear what so-and-so said
on TV? I don't care what he said. You know what they're doing down
the street here? I don't care what they're doing. I care what
you're doing. I care what Christ is preaching.
I care what I'm preaching. I've got a positive message.
Don't tell me what they're saying. Tell me what He's saying. Don't preach their errors. Preach
the truth. Don't tell me what salvation
is not. I know what it's not. Tell me what it is, who it is. I'm telling you now, leave them
alone. Christ said, leave them alone. Yeah, but they're casting out
devils in your name. Leave them alone. Stay away from
them. Preach the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Tell him how you love sinners.
I died on the cross to save them. Spend all your time talking about
Christ, talking about the gospel, and leave them alone. Can you
do it? We learned that one time back
here in the study when the men all used to come and meet with
me back years ago. And I remember that People, different
ones, came in and said, did you see this on TV or that on the
TV? Did you hear what they said?
Did you hear what they're preaching? One day I said, knock it off. I don't want to hear another
thing that those fellas say or do or what they claim to do. I just don't want to hear it
talked about anymore. I want to walk in here. and hear
what Christ Jesus the Lord did for sinners in his precious blood
and his righteousness and preach it with a positive, I got a positive
message.