The morning we continue with our Heart For The House Series. Pastor Brad teaches us about Repairing The Broken.
Pastors notes:
TEXTGalatians 6:1-5 NKJVBrethren, if a man is [a]overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For each one shall bear his own load.
INTRODUCTION
The morning we continue with our Heart For The House Series. Pastor Brad teaches us about Repairing The Broken.
Pastors notes:
TEXT
Galatians 6:1-5 NKJV
Brethren, if a man is [a]overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For each one shall bear his own load.
INTRODUCTION
Good morning, everybody!
I hope each and every one of you had a great weekend. This morning, I want to continue on in our new series we’ve entitled “ A Heart For The House”.
Last week, I talked about how as a church, we need to be about the same thing Jesus was about, and that was reaching people. We are going to be a church that does what ever it takes to reach people! That includes changing when needed, going where no one wants to, and reaching the unlovable!
We are going to grow! Say amen, somebody!Today, however, I want to share with you from a more internal perspective. We’d all agree that sinners are supposed to act like sinners, correct?With that being true, how are we supposed to act when fellow believers fall?
ILLUSTRATION
We all know that people who have encountered the love of Jesus and have become “born again” are not supposed to continue in sin.
Agreed?
But to say that we can’t choose to sin out of our free will or that we can’t get caught up in things is far from the truth.
Unfortunately, the church has gotten caught in many scandals.
From the famous pastors who are caught in financial or sexual scandals, to local church affairs and such, there’s no shortage. The devil certain has his target set on leaders.
Why?Zechariah 13:7 says “”Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will scatter”.
In other words, if the devil can take down a leader, he can affect the people under him or her.
TRANSITION
However, we tend to focus just on leaders who fall, but what about your average church member or believer?
They are no more immune to falling than to anyone else.How should the church respond when a believer falls into sinfulness? There are some who might would say, “It’s not for us to judge”.
Do you personally know anyone who was once serving God faithfully, but not is not?
It’s time to leave the ninety nine and to go after the one!
BACKGROUND
That is the very thing the Apostle Paul is trying to train the church in.
Paul understands the ministry of restoration and reconciliation that has been committed to all believers.
APPLICATION
1. Have The Right Spirit
- The right spirit is meekness.
- The goal is restoration! The Christian Church is the only army that shoots their own wounded.
- Protect them. Don’t share their personal issues with others. That’s the main reason people don’t try and get help when they are struggling.
- Protect the church. Confront or it will spread. -1 Corinthians 5:9-13 NKJV
I wrote to you in my epistle not to [a]keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”
2. Consider Your Own Weakness
- This is ultimately what the Scripture means when it says “Judge not, lest your be judged.....” Matthew 7:1-2 NKJV. If you come down too hard on someone in the wrong spirit, you might have to eat your words one day.
- We must realize that we are not above being tempted. Do you realize we are all one stupid decision away from messing our whole life up?
3. Offer To Help
- Bear each other’s burden.- Don’t kick a man when he’s down, but offer a hand back up. - Help them get the tools they need to succeed.
4. Focus On Your Own Problems
- People who are “fixers” tend to forget that they have problems of their own to work on.
-Matthew 7:3-5 NKJV
3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
- When we focus on ourselves and working on the problems we have, we don’t have time to be worried about everyone else weaknesses, plus it gives us a reality check.
CONCLUSION
