Community & Discipleship

Do not grow weary in well doing (Galatians 6:1-10)

2012.11.04Dr. Randy Stinson

Do not grow weary in well doing. Orphan care and restoration ministry are good work that will be hard, so we must guard against pride and self-deception and trust God, who ensures that in due season we will reap what we have sown.

Care for orphans is a burden God has placed on every man

The speaker introduces the problem of orphans in the world and in the city, and shares how his family came to adopt from Taiwan and China. He says the doctrine of adoption is central to the gospel, since we are adopted into God's family in Christ. He argues that fatherhood is written on every man's heart by God himself, so men in particular should feel the burden of orphan care. Citing Jesus' words about a father giving good gifts to his children, he calls men to lead, provide, and protect as God the Father does.

Restore others with gentleness, guarding against self-righteousness (Galatians 6:1-2)

Paul calls the spiritual to restore a fallen brother in a spirit of gentleness and to keep watch over themselves lest they too be tempted. The speaker notes that Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 6 about not suing fellow believers and in James about not favoring the rich show a preemptive warning against our fallen tendencies. When we are immersed in the pain of others, self-righteousness can grow into harshness and crowd out gentleness. Those who do this work must watch their own hearts, because pride can creep in even while they minister to the least of these.

Do not deceive yourself by comparing with others (Galatians 6:3-5)

The speaker explains that when we work among people in pain we tend to compare ourselves with them and think we are better, which Paul calls self-deception. He tells of a friend whose compassion for Africans turned into anger and contempt as he compared himself with them. Each person stands before God alone and will bear his own load, so the work of restoration should not be measured against the faults of others. Humility before the Lord must come before gentleness toward those we serve.

The law of the harvest: God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7-8)

Paul's law of the harvest is like the way a seed produces after its own kind, yet the harvest comes later and is greater than the seed sown. Sowing to the flesh brings corruption, and sowing to the Spirit brings eternal life. We mock God when we think unpunished sin means He does not care, and we also mock Him when we doubt that good work will be rewarded. The farmer who works hard and the one who sleeps late look alike for a while, but the rain and the harvest will come in God's time.

Do not grow weary: the sower and the reaper will rejoice together (Galatians 6:9-10)

Paul says not to grow weary in doing good, because in due season we will reap if we do not give up. The speaker cites Jesus' words in John 4 that one sows and another reaps, and that the sower and the reaper will rejoice together. Many who sow in adoption and orphan care will never see the full harvest, but God will bring it in His time and every good work will be made right. Adoption is not for the faint-hearted, and it is not about the good feelings of those who adopt. For that reason we are called to serve with humble and steadfast hearts.

Apply to Life

  • Let us humble ourselves before the Lord and seek His help in gentleness when we restore those who are fallen.
  • Let us guard our own hearts against pride and self-righteousness as we serve those who are suffering.
  • Let us stop comparing ourselves with those we serve and stand before God alone with humility.
  • Let us, as men especially, care for orphans and the fatherless in the way that God has called us to do.
  • Let us not grow weary of doing good, but trust God for the harvest in due season.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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