We Need Each Other, Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ one another need. Each other.

See, that's the point. Christianity is not a Lone Ranger affair. We need to join up today on this additional fellowship in the work pastor Bill Gebhart Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhart now is once again he shows us how God's word.

Our world years ago and is classic comic strip peanuts did not eat so often.

He taught a remarkable true in just a few short frames in the very first frame. Lucy asked Charlie Brown why are we here on earth. A really profound question Charlie replies in the second frame to make others happy. Lucy frowns deep in thought, in the third frame. She says then why are others here and that dilemma is really the dilemma for so many of us shoulders right on the horizontal plane. We are here to make others happy.

But, I think. So often we respond like Lucy, we really believe that the goal of others is to make us happy that be a mistake. The New Testament is saturated with one another's what we should do for or to one another 39 times in the New Testament. You have a one another formula 23 different subjects. Some of them we are to accept one another, we are to pray for one another. We are to encourage one another. We are to edify one another will show hospitality toward one another, we would admonish one another. We are to serve one another. We are to confess our sins to one another and then there's the all-encompassing. We are to love one another because horizontally that's why were here you see, why would God spend so much time telling us how important it is that we relate to one another.

They get simple. He knows something we need each other. See, I need you and you need me. We need each other as believers in Jesus Christ and we are to love everybody. The lost as well as the saved will level loss by living out our lives, and by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to be salt and light in this world where love one another are our brothers and sisters in Christ where love one another in such a way that each of us help the other on their spiritual journey that each of us help the other person grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, that each one of us as were being conformed to the image of Christ that all of us partake in it together. You see, was because of Paul's love for the Lord and his love for the lost in his love for his brothers and sisters in Christ that he wrote the epistle to the Galatians Paul of the Galatians before they were even believers who love them so much that he shared the gospel of grace with them the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he love them so much that when he found out that the Judaizers had come in and from the religious perspective tried to change the gospel of grace and so you need to believe in Jesus Christ but you had to do certain religious things as well, particularly circumcision. It was because of Paul's love for them that he wrote the epistle. He called out another gospel. He said those who propagate the gospel should be anathema that is cursed.

It was because Paul loved Peter that Paul was willing to admonish Peter in front of the whole Church of Antioch because Peter had fallen for the Lord.

Religion when the Judaizers came, he began to separate himself from Gentiles, even though God had given him through dreams three times the clarity that he was not to view any food or any group of people as unclean. It was because of Paul's love for the Galatians that he spent two chapters 2 chapters with six different approaches trying to make his case for grace.

He used every possible way that he had at his disposal to teach that a person is saved by faith and faith alone in Christ and Christ is the grace of God and then it was his love for the Galatians and ironically his love even for us and his love for Christ that he declared in chapter 5 in verse one that grace has set us free. Never underestimate those words. Grace has set us free.

There is a freedom and being a believer in Jesus Christ. We are free, he says, stand firm against the slavery of religion.

I am free to stand firm. He also sent then that we are free to overcome the power of our flesh in our life because God has given us his Spirit and we are free to live our lives out under the control of the Holy Spirit in our lives and then he says and you will bear the fruit of the Spirit in your life and now as it comes to the end of the epistle, the apostle Paul says, because we are free. We have two great responsibilities to great obligations to each other. Join your Bibles to Galatians chapter 6, the first thing make it possible to tell us those first five verses is this. We are free to have the responsibility we are free to bear one another's burdens. That's responsibility and obligation we have to each other in the body of Christ we are to bear one another's burdens. He starts off by talking about a particular one and then generalizes in verse 20 says, brother, and so we know it's in the context of the church.

He said even if anyone is caught in any trespass. Now it's interesting that he uses a term like that caught it's kind of an interesting word to word is prolonged, Bono and the word means a snare or a trap you set a trap or snare you try to catch a prayer rabbit or a bird and he saying that's the way were often caught in trespass is not talking about the long-term premeditated thing in this case he's talking about when were caught that's kind of interesting is building caught just caught by a trespass just you might wonder, is it why not all things. I don't, but you have how many of you ever had a great day you have a great day summer. You have two, three days and wrote a great and a window you but you have in this great day and it seems every thing is right between you and the Lord everything seems right between you and the world and then someone has a conversation with a soda syllogism starts talking to or something happens to somebody pulls on front of you in traffic you get in the wrong line at the grocery store you never think of going to get out of there.

You get a phone call and someone begins to talk to you and whatever it is, never knows what can happen be a great day. Pam caught. I mean, you know you could be here right now to very pleasant mood you have a conversation somewhere in the lobby on the parking lot or even in the car with the person you came with, and what happens. I've seen it, I see people yelling at each other's or leaving the parking lot. They just came to worship Jesus and now they're yelling. You see, because that's what happens to us, you have a conversation with something about something someone else has.

And all of a sudden you feel jealousy you feel envy is immediate.

You might even gossip every now and then things change fast and he says when someone is caught, he says. Anyone caught in a trespass you are spiritual, restore you see religion religion the legalist of the Judaizers were not in the restoration.

They are in the condemnation they want to condemn you when they think you've done something wrong. Paul experienced that in acts chapter 21 the Jews almost killed Paul in the killer because they thought the call of the file the temple by bringing a Gentile into the temple. All they had was an accusation, no proof they wanted to kill him for that. Paul says if anyone is caught in a trespass you are spiritual restore such a one notice the idea of you who are spiritual. Now you might think what that leaves me off the hook.

I don't. I must virtual son of the worry about that. That's why we pay the pastor. You see, that's his job.

But that's not really true.

He doesn't mean spiritual in the sense of maturity.

He mean spiritual in a very different way. Look at 518 but I say to you walk by the spirit will not carry out the desires of five 516.

Excuse me, then 518. If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law, and verse 22 and 23 the fruit of the Spirit is love and joy and peace and kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Against such things there is no law. That's what he means when you are not involved in sending your own life and you are walking by the spirit of God, you are living under the control of the spirit of God, you can restore a brother or sister in Christ are caught in a trespass. That's what he is saying is all of our responsibility and noticed he uses the word restore is a great word. The word itself is counter to so encounter to so has a very particular meaning. It is what the words the Greek used two when you had to mend a fishing net. If you do mend the net you counter to sit out. It or if you set a broken bone you cat are to started to mend order set and it has something built into it. Why do I mend a fishing net so that it will work like a fishing net. I mean if you have a net and it's got a gigantic hole in it. It's not going to really work very well as a fishing net. And so when you cut artisanal what you make it so it works as a net whenever you have a bone set. What's the point you want to restore the bone you want to be able to walk again. Want to be able to run again. He said that's the word I want to use. In other words, when you restore brother and sister in Christ are caught in sin, you restore them back to their function in the body of Christ. You restore them so that they can live the life God intended them to live. They can contribute to the glory of God that they can restore others that they can be back on track with the Lord.

That's what he says brother and if anyone is caught in any trespass, you are spiritual restore such a one, and Ali tells us the attitude was to have the spirit should be gentleness is the problem for some of us gentleness when you can restore someone you do in a gentle spirit. Seek the Judaizers will not be general, you know enough of the New Testament the Gospels how the Pharisees at this vision with people, not all religions never general. He said, but you are spiritual you do it you restore them and you do it with the spirit of gentleness. Why well I think there's at least three reasons. One. The Lord is general you see how the Lord restore people remember the woman was caught in adultery and Johnny how the Lord treater.

I remember they the enemies brought her red and it still ironic.

By the way one person really can't commit adultery. So if you're bringing someone in for Dr. you need to bring in both so you know this was a set up, but when I want you to understand is how the Lord treater gentle new do I condemn you. He did tell her to go and sin, the more but he was gentle with her. What about the woman at the well, the Samaritan woman.

What about that woman.

The woman who had all those husbands and Jesus said, in the manager living with is not your husband. Was he harsh with her. Was he gentle with her is extremely general. What about someone who should've known better, one about one of the disciples, who is one of the inner three.

What about Peter who three times deny Jesus Christ when he met Jesus Christ again.

How did Jesus restore him to remember. Remember what Jesus did. Jesus said Peter do you love me you suggest, then he said FEMA should Peter do you love me.

Yes, Lord then tended the flock. Peter do you love me, Lord, you know that I love you, see what was that what was his attitude toward Peter general. You see, you don't do it.

The hostile attitude you do with the general attitude and the reason is a Jesus Christ himself was gentle.

There's another reason we should be general were all vulnerable ourselves. All of us. We all need this from time to time.

Jesus spoke of it differently good risk holder place or go to Matthew chapter 7 the sermon on the Mount Matthew chapter 7 in verse one. Jesus can give us a picture of how we should go about this. Jesus says in verse one of Matthew seven. Do not judge so that you will not be judged. He said, for in the way that you judge, you will be judged by your standard of measure will be measured to you.

That's a warning he's warning you about your attitude how you judge people and then he says this. Why do you look at the spec is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye, he said, or how can you say to your brother, let me take that speck out of your eye, and behold the log is in your own eye. Jesus says you hypocrite.

He's the first to go to take the log out of your own eye, and then you'll be able to clearly take it out speck out of your brother's eye always has to begin with you first. That's one of the reasons we have to be general, we have to be more vulnerable ourselves. I imagine all of you had at something in your eye from time to time you get something in her eye. Spec and you gotta get someone to help you know what it's like someone comes up.

They say they'll help they stopped for driving the pusher. I open to get out a Kleenex.

They twirl with good little point on it in your moment like this in your eyes will not and are trying just to touch know I would imagine you have a speck in your eye, and I say hey look, I like to help you and I come up to you and I have a popsicle stick stuck in my eye I insist that there know what when you think you think I think you somebody else you know, because the whole point is how do you restore so you think a speck out of someone's I would give a popsicle stick in your eye.

That's a Jesus thing. Just begin with. You were all vulnerable and that's what he said you have the judge yourself before you start judging other people.

Back to Galatians the Lord was gentle, where all vulnerable and we do it in a general way we fulfill the law of love. Remember what he said last week in verse 13 of chapter 5, for you were called the freedom brother only. Do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another for the whole law is fulfilled in one word he said in the statement, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. The law of love.

You see, it's the law of love. He said the reason you do gently and you want to restore people is because we are to love one another.

We need each other. You see, that's the point.

Christianity is not a Lone Ranger affair.

We need each other is interesting in John 13 and John 15 Jesus was talking to disciples and he said to them, I would give you a new commandment. And he said that you love one another. What makes it new is the party agile and he said because if you love one another all men will know you are my disciples. In other words, if we love each other the way that Christ says we are to love each other all people notice that aren't in the body will know the word Disciples of Christ. I hate to say this, but that's certainly not the reputation of the church.

You won't find people who are unchurched when nothing to do with church.

They will say, well, you know, I'm not sure about the claims of Jesus Christ, that is God incarnate. They live the perfect life that he died a substitutionary death on the cross for men, but you know what I've never seen people who love each other like Christians I've never seen it.

Christians love each other in a way that's just amazing. No one says that US people are called what they think of people in the church and you know what they usually say judgmental condemning. Yet we should be known by the way we love one another and by the way, if you love each other that way they'll beat a path to your door is always one that in our lives, so we need to be general because of what was gentle were all vulnerable and we fulfill the law.

He says we fulfill the law of love. Notice then. He then says this he says in verse two bear one another's burdens and thereby fulfill the law of Christ to the love love bear one another's burdens. This is more than just when someone sends likes a burden for a lot of people know it's tough.

Remember years ago reading an author a Christian psychiatrist, who said life is wounded in a deliver whole life wounded his right is not easy. We need to bear one another's burdens and the word for burdens. There is the word Boras and it means a heavy load, and I don't know about you but I think everybody I know, including myself, are times in your life or you go through heavy load and would have somebody go through with you brother and sister in Christ would go through with you. Who would listen to you would pray with you, I would encourage you she's tremendously important for us. We are free to bear one another's burdens, and we do it with gentleness and we do it with humility. Look at verse three. He said if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. We should be humble about this. You see, if you believe in the grace of God. There's one thing that you can't be powerful.

You can't be is an oxymoron because grace means unmerited favor. Grace means that God has given me the gift and all I have to do through faith is receive it as a consequently what am I proud of you see what I might be proud Christ did everything all I did was put my faith in him. That's it. There's no place for pride and that's why Paul says if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Remember, Paul said, I am what I am by the grace of God.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ.

That's all you have. It was said centuries ago that even evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread that's evangelism were all beggars and all you're doing is telling someone else how we can be proud for about this is beyond Paul. Then he says in verse four, each one must examine his own work and he says and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone and not in regard to another, but please understand something you he is not trying to say he's not advocating boasting what he is saying though is if you really look at yourself, you will be probably won't post. I mean really examine yourself one of you done in the last week last week were things you've done, we go further about your thoughts about your thoughts and any thoughts on last week impure anger, jealousy and envy anything Yemeni that really examine yourself as that shown up in your life at all.

You see imposters when you do that now boast. Of course you can't see that's exactly what religion or the Judaizers could do the member.

The Pharisee stood in the temple garage and said God, I thank you that I'm not a sinner like that guy right there.

I am such a righteous man is what religion can do.

There's no room for boasting in grace, and then he says for each one will bear his own load in here though the word is not the same as the burden. This is a different word. This is the word for Todd and it means a soldiers pack it means a lightweight pack that a soldier uses a Roman or Greek soldier to moving to the battlefield and has only a few essentials on it. Each one of us have to carry our own lightweight burden, but we should all try to help the other person carry the heavy burdens that are on them so far. Paul Venice said we are free by grace we are free to stand firm against the slavery religion we are we are free to overcome the power of our own flesh in our lives, we are free to live our lives under the control the spirit of God in Barrett's fruit and he says and we are free to bear one another's burdens free to apply the law of love there something more though, in order to do that. Doesn't that require something real relationships of people you can bear burdens of someone.

If you have real relationships. You can't see it just doesn't work that way and that's one of the sad thing so many Christians don't have real relationships with other Christians and I don't mean the churches try to address that all churches over the years and so they try to have a small group for support of the try to put people together and make me think that maybe this will work and sometimes it doesn't. So often it doesn't. And the reason is to have this kind of relationship someone you can bear the burden and that you can restore them when they're caught in a trespass. This can require something of that relationship have a trusting relationship bathroom on the radio ministry of fellowship more if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you dislike the message one more time.

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