Galatians #13—An exposition of Galatians 6:6-18. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, April 26, 2009.
Introduction:
What is the Christian life all about? What are we supposed to do with our life on this earth after coming to faith in Christ? To many it seems the Christian life begins and ends with conversion. That the whole of the Christian experience is about “getting saved.” It is about avoiding Hell and gaining Heaven. Is that really all there is to it? Is there nothing more? If not then by all means live it up and do everything you want and then commit to Christ. Or better yet commit to Christ and nail down that security and then live however you want until it’s time to go! Of course if you bother to read the Scripture you know that salvation or conversion is merely the beginning. Once you are declared righteous by God’s grace because of Christ, you begin the process of being made holy through the working of God’s grace in you through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The Christian is called to holiness of life. We are called to mature in our faith. That means we are to grow in our understanding of God, His character, His ways and our lives are to conform to His image. We are to grow in Christ-likeness as we walk with Him. After putting forth the doctrine of salvation by grace alone Paul then applies that doctrine to life. This is what that doctrine looks like on the street. This is how we live that truth. This morning we come to the end of our brief study of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Our text is found in chapter 6 beginning with verse 6.
What is the Christian life all about? What are we supposed to do with our life on this earth after coming to faith in Christ? To many it seems the Christian life begins and ends with conversion. That the whole of the Christian experience is about “getting saved.” It is about avoiding Hell and gaining Heaven. Is that really all there is to it? Is there nothing more? If not then by all means live it up and do everything you want and then commit to Christ. Or better yet commit to Christ and nail down that security and then live however you want until it’s time to go! Of course if you bother to read the Scripture you know that salvation or conversion is merely the beginning. Once you are declared righteous by God’s grace because of Christ, you begin the process of being made holy through the working of God’s grace in you through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The Christian is called to holiness of life. We are called to mature in our faith. That means we are to grow in our understanding of God, His character, His ways and our lives are to conform to His image. We are to grow in Christ-likeness as we walk with Him. After putting forth the doctrine of salvation by grace alone Paul then applies that doctrine to life. This is what that doctrine looks like on the street. This is how we live that truth. This morning we come to the end of our brief study of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Our text is found in chapter 6 beginning with verse 6.
Text: Galatians 6:6-18
Last time we said that the proof of spirituality is reflected in how you live. You think you are spiritual? Prove it! Prove it by how you deal with others and their sin. Prove it by the way you deal with your own sin. Prove it by taking responsibility for your own actions. We learned that mature faith:
- is compassionate and redemptive in dealing with the sins of others.
- is honest and unflinching when dealing with its own weaknesses.
- takes responsibility for its own conduct.
This morning we discover that:
Thesis: A mature faith is cross-centered and devotion driven.
There are two things I want to call to your attention.
- A mature faith is marked by generosity, devotion and perseverance. (6:6-10)
- A mature faith is anchored in the cross and glories in what the cross accomplishes. (6:11-18)
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