Let Grace Lead

Let Grace Lead
Galatians 6:1-10
September 21, 2025

Tonight, we are coming to the end of Galatians where Paul wraps up his instruction on grace and faith. We saw last time that he was exhorting them to walk by the Spirit, with the Spirit of God working the fruit of the Spirit in them, that which is aligned with the character of God.

Now in this chapter, because of that, he encourages them to be gracious with one another. This is core to the Christian faith.

John 13:34-35, A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples….”

Paul addresses this from the perspective of grace. Seeing that we have received grace, it should deeply impact our relationships with others as well.

This is a very important principle he is focusing on. So much so, that it is some of the last words he writes to them in this letter.

I. Have Grace

There is a very important parable that Jesus told about the slave that owed the king a huge amount of money, about 15 years’ worth of wages. The king called him into his court and said that he had to pay up otherwise he and his whole family would be sold to pay off the debt. This man begged for mercy.

The king was merciful and forgave him all his debt. This man went out rejoicing.

As he went on his way, he happened upon another slave who owed him about a day’s worth of wages. He told his fellow slave that he had to pay up immediately. The slave begged for mercy, but the one who was forgiven much had no grace with him and had him thrown in jail.

When the king heard of this, he was furious.

Matthew 18:32-34, “You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.

The moral of the story is that because God has been gracious to us, we should also be gracious towards others. We should also forgive others as we were forgiven.

This is what Paul is warning them about.

A. Restore in Gentleness

• Paul says if someone is caught in a trespass, tripped up in sin, those who are spiritually minded, in other words, sensitive to the leading of the Spirit, should restore such a person with a spirit of gentleness, without any superiority or self-righteousness.
• Naturally, this presumes that they are repentant, and want to be restored.
• Unfortunately, the law and legalism are always out to find fault in others. Religious people look down on others, measuring others against their superior religiosity.
• Being hard and judgmental is a serious thing, and it is something we should all always be on our guard against.

Matthew 7:1-5 “Do not judge (with an attitude of self-righteousness) so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

• Those who have realized that their best works are like filthy rags and worth nothing, that without God they are totally bankrupt, and have experienced the grace of God, look at others differently.
• In fact, he says that while you are restoring someone else with love and gentleness, keep a watchful eye on yourself that you don’t fall in the same thing.
• What does he mean by this? When you are restoring someone else, helping them navigate the struggles they have, it might be easy to think that you have now crossed over to a superior spiritual level into mentorship and therefore have all the answers. You are now immune to the temptation of the things others are struggling with.
• Paul says, beware! Remember that you are also only standing because of the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit that is guiding and keeping you. We are not standing in our own strength but by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.
• Do not be tempted to think that you have now conquered sin by your amazing faith and spirituality. We must always be reminded that it is by the finished work of Christ and by the blood of Jesus that we stand.
• Paul reminds them that in these instances it is important to examine your own work, look to the self.
• What does this mean? Should I be looking to and be focused on my own sin? No. The context is this. While restoring others, scrutinize and examine your own action, your attitude, your behavior. Is it aligned with God’s heart and attitude of love, the same grace and love you received.

Illus – Let’s say that you had a history of alcoholism. You got saved and God set you free from it. You have grown in your faith, and have walked in victory over it for some time. Then you come in contact with a brother who is an alcoholic and has come to faith in Jesus. You become his accountability partner. He is walking in the newness of life, but is still young in faith and sometimes slip up.  What Paul is saying is keep checking your heart. Do not become hard and without grace. Remember the struggles you once had and you needed love and acceptance to help you walk through it. Also, do not compare yourself with him with a self-righteous attitude.

• Comparing yourself to others who are struggling opens you up to a spirit of pride.
• With the right perspective you can experience the personal satisfaction of walking in your purpose.
• Personal satisfaction is a very important phrase. It is not show and tell everybody how great you are, but have a personal satisfaction because you know you are being used by God for His kingdom and His glory, impacting the lives of others by the grace of God. This is truly satisfying!
• It is an attitude that says, ‘Thank you God. I am humbled by the fact that I can be used for your glory. It is all you!’

B. Bear one another’s burden

• Paul reminds them with this last chapter that no man is an island. We are the body of Christ. We are interlinked, interdependent, here to be supported and to support others.
• When he talks about bearing other’s burdens, it can point to two perspectives. In the context of this chapter, we see that he is dealing with moral failures and people struggling while growing in their faith.
• We need to realize that we are all in the same boat. Although some have grown in faith more, we all have our own bundle of faults and shortcomings that we are sensitive to and are more easily are tripped up with.

Verse 5 –  For every person will have to bear [with patience] his own burden [of faults and shortcomings for which he alone is responsible]. AMP

• Just because I am not struggling with the thing my brother or sister is struggling with, it doesn’t mean that I am not struggling with something else.
• And we are quick to create a list of severity of sins where we categorize some sins as more evil than others, and thereby, if we deem our sin as not so serious, we can easily look down on others who are committing the more ‘serious’ sins.

Illus – Reminds me of the story of the man who came to confess to another brother.

• The truth of the matter is that sin is sin. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Now it is true that all sin destroys on some level as it is rooted not in love but in selfishness, and some sins have a much harsher impact on others.
• But we should always have a gracious heart to help bear the burdens of those who are struggling because God has a heart to set every person free of condemnation and the power of sin in their lives.

Illus- Many years ago in a church far, far away I met with a brother who was being eaten up on the inside with deep regret and condemnation.

• When you have the heart of God, your heart breaks for what sin is doing to others.

Illus – Recently I spoke with a brother who has come to Christ who was in a situation at a party…

• We should ask God to show us how He sees people.
• The other application is that we are called to bear burdens of others, heart aches, hurts.

1 Corinthians 12:6, And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Romans 12:15, Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

• We rejoice with those who rejoice, because we are happy with them, celebrating when God does something amazing. This is sometimes the easy part. But it is sometimes more difficult to mourn with those who mourn.
• I used to find this difficult. Because mourning means that someone is going through hard things, suffering, sickness, emotional hardship, even facing death or loss. And sometimes people want answers. As a pastor, I used to think that I should have all the answers.
• Until I understood this verse. Mourn with those who mourn. Mourning is part of life on this planet. Bad things happen. Things we don’t understand happen. Things that feel unfair happen. Life is sometimes messy.
• This is not a surprise, though. Jesus promised us that there will be difficult times. We are living and fighting in enemy territory. There will be casualties.
• Sometimes we don’t have the answers. We see but in part. We cannot yet see the full picture, because we are not God.
• But in those instances, we are not asked to always try and give an answer. Sometimes that even does more damage, like Job’s friends.
• We are called to mourn with those who mourn. Cry with those who cry. Share the grief with those going through the grief.
• We might not have all the answers, but we can support and comfort one another while we hold on to our assured hope.
• The promise is that Jesus said that He is with us till the end of the age when we will be reunited with Him for eternity. He will never leave or forsake us.

II. What You Sow, You Reap

• In chapter 6, starting in verse 7, Paul gives what is famously known as the principle of the harvest.
• He begins with the strong words, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked…”
• He uses it in the context of financial sowing and reaping, saying that there will be a harvest when you sow. But then he also immediately ties this in with sowing and reaping in the spirit as well.
• God is mocked when a person scoffs at what God says, or laughs in disdain, looking down at what God says as being of no consequence. It’s like when someone says in a scoffing way, “Whatever.”
• God is not mocked; that principal still stands. Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
• We can add some details to the principle.

1. You reap what you sow.                   (You don’t sow sin and reap righteousness.)
2. You reap later than you sow.
3. You reap more than you sow.

Hosea 8:7, They sow the wind and they shall reap the whirlwind.

Illus – How many people would say, “If I had known what it would cost me, I would not have done it”?

A. Don’t sow to the flesh

• Sowing to the flesh speaks to your capacity to sin, worldliness, disgraceful impulses. We all still have in us, even though we are saved, a capacity to sin.
• Here, Paul says that there are consequences. When a person sows to the flesh, they will reap from the flesh; and what they reap will be corruption.
• The thing about sowing and reaping is this; a seed is planted, but the reaping does not come right away. Because of this, people think there will be no consequence and they will continue to get away with it.
• Therefore, many are deceived; but God is not mocked, the principal stands, reaping will come.
• But what do you do if you know that you are reaping from the flesh because you have sown to the flesh? Answer: start sowing to the Spirit.

Illus – I recently planted some grass. When you are planning grass or tending a garden, you see the most interesting phenomena: Grass or plants need to be tended and watered regularly. Weeds just come up all on their own. Just because there are weeds, do you give up on planting grass and focus on destroying the weeds, but thereby keeping the ground barren? No. You plant the grass, tend it, while pulling the weeds. Soon the grass far outgrows the weeds.

B. Sow to the Spirit

• If you are reaping a life of wrong choices, start sowing right choices.
• You are sowing to the Spirit right now. The word of God is going forth, empowered by the Holy Spirit and it will bear fruit in your life spiritually.
• Don’t just focus on not sowing to the flesh, start sowing to the Spirit. Sow the word.
• One seed at a time, one chapter at a time, day by day, sow to the Spirit and you will reap life.
• Can you sow both flesh and Spirit? Yes, but one must overpower the other.

Luke 8:14, “The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life and bring no fruit to maturity.”

• Paul writes so that we will understand that you get to choose what you want to reap.
• Sow a thought; reap an action. Sow an action; reap a habit. Sow a habit; reap a character. Sow a character; reap a destiny.
• So, change your thoughts and actions. Start serving, start witnessing. Start worshipping. Sow spiritual seeds, and soon the weeds will be pushed out.

Illus – As a family we recently started going through Proverbs again…

• Paul finishes this letter by saying that he will only boast in the cross. He says the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.
• In modern language he is saying, the world is dead to me. I don’t regard it. I have no affection for it. My aim is to have a beautiful life glorifying God and impacting people, leaving a beautiful legacy.
• So, this last exhortation is: Walk according to this new creation that you are now. Discipline yourself to conduct life by this principle: That you walk in peace and mercy led by the Spirit and grace.