Why Is There Suffering?
Sermon Notes
INTRO:
Good morning! I want to pick up where we left off last week. We are in Galatians 6. Today we will be looking at verses 6-18.
I am calling this 2-part message Gospel Relationships. If you missed last week's message, you can find it on our YouTube channel. I hope it's an encouragement to you.
The reason we are taking two weeks to talk about Gospel Relationships has everything to do with my belief that the one true Gospel is oriented around relationships.
In Jesus' love for us, he died and rose, and now LOVE is the posture we are to carry in the world.
Jesus' instructions to his followers are to love God and love people. I am convinced that relationships are the only effective way to love God and people.
If we don't have deep, intimate, Christ-centered relationships, then what do we have?
Jesus said the world would know you belong to me by the way you love others. In my best interpretation and understanding of scripture, loving others is best expressed through genuine and intimate relationships with one another.
So, this is a timely word for us, considering the amount of loneliness and isolation that the pandemic brought. SO many people pulled back from relationships, and I believe that it is time to renter and reinvest into the relationships God has given us.
The whole point of Paul's letter to this church in Galatia is to address legalism or works-based religion within the church. His message is this: God's love is not contingent on anything you do but only on who you are.
You are a son and daughter of the living God, so then, live as a son and daughter of the living God! Don't go back to who you were before you met Jesus. Live in your new self!
This is what the second half of chapter 6 is all about. Paul starts with a warning and then ends with an invitation. Let's dive in together.
READ GALATIANS 6:6-18
GOSPEL RELATIONSHIPS PART 2
BIG IDEA: THE CONDITION OF YOUR HEART DETERMINES THE CONDITION OF YOUR RELATIONSHIPS.
So, if the condition of my heart is healthy, it will breed healthy relationships with others. If the condition of my heart is unhealthy, then my relationships with others will eventually become unhealthy.
Why? Because our hearts are the axis point for relationships. Being in a gospel-oriented relationship with someone is so much more than me giving my time or opinions… I must also give my heart – my feelings, emotions, empathy, compassion, and understanding.
If my heart is dark, hard, anxious, selfish, prideful, or fearful, those traits will spill out into my life and those around me.
My heart is a breeding ground. It's the root of everything good and everything bad. Paul sets out here to remind us that the natural condition of all of our hearts is one of destruction. What if we just leave our hearts alone and don't tend to them and care for them, then destruction will closely follow.
The condition of your heart will show up in your moments of privacy, it will show up in environments of community, and most importantly, it will become a barrier to true and deep intimacy with God.
Jesus talked a lot about the conditions of the heart as well.
Matthew 23:26 (Jesus is talking to the most religious people group of the day) and says… Blind Pharisee! First, clean the inside of the cup so that the outside of it may also become clean.
What is Jesus after here? Jesus knows that those who are "religious" tend to care more about their reputation rather than their character.
I think we see this today, don't we? Not just with the common churchgoer but with pastors and elders in the church. Just within the last year, there are numerous examples of pastors whose poor character got exposed. What was in the dark got brought out into the light.
Not necessarily because they brought it out but that the Holy Spirit brought it out and forced them to look within and really deal with the conditions of their heart.
So, Jesus said over 2000 years ago, don't be blind! Don't think for even a second that neglecting your heart will lead to anything wholesome. Don't be that person who is more concerned with your reputation or appearance than your heart and your character.
This is not an easy thing to do. It is in our nature to neglect our hearts. This is why I want to make this plea to you this morning: I BELIEVE THAT ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO CARE FOR OUR HEARTS IS IN CHRIST-CENTERED RELATIONSHIPS.
AND IT IS OUT OF THIS CONVICTION THAT WE ARRIVE AT PAUL'S WARNING IN VERSE 7: Whatever a person sows, they will also reap."
In other words,
WARNING: WHATEVER IS INSIDE OF YOU WILL EVENTUALLY COME OUT.
Paul uses probably one of the most powerful and relatable illustrations for all humanity. The agricultural process of sowing and reaping.
Some have called it the law of great returns! Whatever a person sows, they will also reap!
Although I am no farmer or gardener, BUT I do know enough to know that the process of sowing is essential to reaping. You need good soil, water, and sunlight.
If you sow tomato seeds, you can expect tomatoes. You will not get corn no matter how much you want corn!
Even though the seed may lay in the soil for some time and may appear to be dead, eventually that seed will grow, and you will see a plant and then tomatoes. Sowing is a process, and reaping requires patience.
So, Paul's point is this: It's not the reaping the determines the harvest but the sowing.
It's the attention to detail and the commitment to the process that produces a healthy and abundant harvest.
This "law of great returns" is A PRINCIPLE THAT WORKS IN JUST ABOUT ANY AREA OF LIFE!
(EX). If I eat fatty foods, then I'll reap a bad heart.
(EX). If I neglect my house, then I will reap a house that falls apart.
(EX). If I pay no attention to my marriage, then I will become disconnected from my spouse.
(EX). If I am not present with my kids now, then they will be distant from me later.
(EX). If I sow to please my sinful nature, then I will reap destruction.
Paul says, "God cannot be mocked!" In other words, He cannot be treated lightly.
This doesn't imply that God is vengeful in any way and takes pleasure in our destruction - it actually is the exact opposite.
God is his grace, and goodness will ALWAYS be who he is. God is love. But God is also Judge and will hold us accountable for the choices we make. We can always come back to him because he is good, but if we choose to stay, he will never force himself on us.
What Paul wants us to get is that sin makes things fall apart. So, if something is unraveling in your life, it's not because God is punishing you or is out to get you in some way… most likely, it is because sin has made its home in your heart.
And this is one of the greatest difficulties the church faces in culture today. Sin has made its way into so many hearts and is woven into the fabric of society, and many people have just accepted it as normal.
But we as followers of Jesus are to never accept sin or, even worse, become apathetic to sin. Paul is encouraging us to be people who sow seeds in the world that pleases the Spirit.
IN A WORLD FULL OF SIN WHICH BRINGS DESTRUCTION Paul believes we can persevere and not find ourselves in a state of defeat… and think to ourselves, "what's the point?"
PAUL SAYS, "DON'T GROW WEARY IN DOING GOOD! For you will reap a harvest if you do not give up!"
This is one of the most significant verses in all of scripture for me. At one point, I had it saved on my home screen on my phone.
(EX). Like many of you, I can become discouraged and overcome by the amount of brokenness in the world.
Life in ministry can seem so daunting and pointless sometimes because the problems are just so big and never-ending.
But the one thing that keeps me going is my belief that God is in the business of restoring and renewing all things.
God cares about all the hurting people in the world way more than I do. God has called me to be a part of the solution.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to be out on the front lines. We are called to be the ones handing people cups of water, bags of food, and money; we are called to help our neighbors… to keep our eyes and ears open to the needs of those around us.
We are called to do good in all seasons, good or bad. For all people – good or bad.
So, I want to encourage you. Yes, life is really hard. I am right there with you on that. However, don't grow weary and tired of doing good in this world. God has blessed you so that you can be a blessing… so how can you do some good?
Remember, it's not about you. Don't do good because you think you have to – to earn God's love and approval. Do good because you are a son or daughter of the living God. You are already approved of it!
So, commit your life to this cause. Commit your life to tell others of God's love and demonstrating the love of Christ so that they can see (through you) how much God loves them.
I'll close with this final thought. Paul offers us an invitation. His invitation is found in verses 11-17. I will summarize it.
INVITATION: DON'T LOSE YOUR TRUST IN THE GOSPEL AND LIVE IN IT EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Paul knows better than anyone how difficult life can be. He bears literal scars all over his body due to beatings and imprisonment. Paul wants you and me to know that the Gospel will come to you and encourage you wherever you are at.
When the Gospel comes to you each day, its work will be done in your heart and will bring about an inward change.
If you are someone who works really hard at trying to appear a certain way to others but on the inside, you are just falling apart…
I want to challenge you to lean into Paul's invitation. Trust in the Gospel and live in it every day.
What is the Gospel? In its most simple form, the Gospel is good news. The good news is that you are so loved by God. In his love for you, he gave you Jesus - through Jesus' death on the cross, he took all of your sin, shame, guilt, and wrongdoings and put them on Jesus, immediately freeing you and giving you a new identity. Your identity is that you are a child of God, and your future is secure in him.
You have a place in eternity with him, and today, you can live in freedom knowing how loved and accepted you are… so you can now share this love with others. As Paul puts it… BOAST IN JESUS. TELL THE WORLD OF WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR YOU!
The Gospel is meant to bring health to your relationships. That's the whole point. Definitely with Jesus but also your relationship with people.
This is why Jesus' followers need to prioritize relationships. This is why we have to see isolation and loneliness for what it is… a tool that the devil uses to keep you from the Gospel.
Don't allow the devil to win this battle over your life. Recognize the lie and invest and be present to Jesus and the people he has brought into your life.
RESPONSE AND DISCUSSION TIME (20 MINUTES)
Who is one relationship who can reenter and reinvest into starting this week?
Grab a coffee, have them over to dinner… check in on them to be a gospel presence in their lives.