Restoration, Burdens, and the Harvest of Faith

In times of loss and unanswered prayers, it’s natural to wrestle with questions of faith, disappointment, and the mystery of God’s ways. As a church family, we grieve together the passing of our beloved Deaconess Jackie, yet we also celebrate her victorious healing in the presence of the Lord. This moment invites us to reflect deeply on the biblical principle of sowing and reaping, as Paul teaches in Galatians 6. What we plant—whether in the flesh or in the Spirit—determines the harvest we will ultimately receive. Our choices, investments, and the way we treat one another have eternal consequences.

Paul’s words challenge us to move beyond shallow, always-positive devotionals and to embrace the full counsel of Scripture, including its teachings on grief, correction, and restoration. When someone is overtaken by sin—not in willful rebellion, but in weakness—we are called to restore them gently, like mending a broken bone, not with condemnation but with care and patience. The church is not a firing squad but a hospital, a place for healing and restoration. Restoration is a delicate process, requiring humility and a spirit of gentleness, lest we ourselves fall into pride or temptation.

Bearing one another’s burdens is not optional; it is the very fulfillment of the law of Christ, which is love. True love is not just sentiment but action—carrying the weight of others, sometimes at great inconvenience to ourselves. This is not about condoning sin, but about lifting up the fallen and helping them walk again. Pride blinds us to our own need for grace and keeps us from stooping down to help others. Instead, we are called to honest self-examination, to test our own work, and to boast only in the cross of Christ.

Paul’s teaching on sharing “all good things” is not merely about financial provision, but about koinonia—deep, mutual fellowship and partnership in the gospel. We are to share life together, rejoicing and grieving, teaching and learning, strong and weak, all as one family. The principle of sowing and reaping applies to every area of life: what we invest in will grow, and the harvest—whether in the flesh or in the Spirit—is inevitable. Even when we do not see the immediate results of our faith, we are called to persevere, trusting that in God’s appointed time, the harvest will come. Our boast, our hope, and our investment must be in Christ alone.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Restoration Requires Gentleness and Patience When someone is overtaken by sin through weakness rather than rebellion, our response must be one of gentle restoration. Like mending a broken bone, this process is delicate and requires care, not condemnation. The church is called to be a place of healing, not judgment, where the wounded are bound up and restored to wholeness. True spiritual maturity is shown in how we restore, not how we punish. [70:50]
• 2. Bearing Burdens Fulfills the Law of Christ Carrying one another’s burdens is not an optional extra for Christians; it is the very way we fulfill Christ’s command to love. This means moving beyond words to practical action, even when it is inconvenient or costly. If we are not actively helping to bear someone else’s load, we must ask whether we are truly living out the love of Christ. Love is proven in the willingness to share the weight of another’s struggle. [78:11]
• 3. Pride Blinds Us to Our Need and the Needs of Others Spiritual pride deceives us into thinking we are self-sufficient or superior, making us blind to our own brokenness and the burdens of others. True humility recognizes our dependence on God and our responsibility to stoop down and help those who are struggling. Pride is not just thinking we are better, but believing our time and comfort are more important than someone else’s need. Honest self-examination and comparison to Christ’s example quickly humble us. [86:21]
• 4. Sowing and Reaping Is a Spiritual Law with Eternal Consequences Whatever we invest our time, energy, and resources into—whether fleshly desires or spiritual pursuits—will yield a corresponding harvest. God is not mocked; our lives will reveal what we have truly sown. Even when we do not see immediate results, perseverance in doing good and sowing in the Spirit will, in God’s appointed time, produce an eternal harvest. Our prayers and acts of faith are never wasted, even if the outcome is not what we expected. [99:38]
• 5. Koinonia: Sharing Life as a Spiritual Family Paul’s call to “share all good things” is about more than material provision; it is about deep, mutual fellowship—koinonia. The church is to be a family that eats, prays, serves, and grieves together, sharing both joys and sorrows. This kind of partnership is the soil in which spiritual fruit grows and is a witness to the world of Christ’s love. Our mission starts with caring for the household of faith, but it does not end there. [95:08]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [56:17] - Tuna in a Bag: A Humble Confession
• [57:01] - Remembering Deaconess Jackie
• [59:18] - Wrestling with Unanswered Prayers
• [60:17] - The Full Counsel of Scripture
• [61:33] - Sowing and Reaping: Galatians 6
• [64:01] - Caught in Sin: Weakness vs. Rebellion
• [70:13] - The Delicate Work of Restoration
• [75:42] - Bearing Burdens and Avoiding Pride
• [78:11] - Fulfilling the Law of Christ
• [81:18] - Spiritual Pride and Self-Deception
• [86:21] - Honest Self-Examination
• [88:45] - Sharing All Good Things: Koinonia
• [95:08] - Sowing, Reaping, and Eternal Consequences
• [99:38] - Persevering in Doing Good
• [105:16] - True Faith vs. Fake Faith
• [107:44] - What Are You Sowing?
• [109:59] - Closing Prayer and Fellowship

Bible Reading

Galatians 6:1-10 (ESV) — 1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.
5 For each will have to bear his own load.
6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.
7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Psalm 126:5 (ESV) — Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!

Hebrews 11:13-16 (ESV) — 13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Observation Questions

1. According to Galatians 6:1, what is the difference between someone caught in sin through weakness and someone living in willful rebellion? How does Paul say we should respond to the one caught in weakness? [[01:05:12]]
2. What does Paul mean by “bearing one another’s burdens” in verse 2, and how does this fulfill the law of Christ? [[01:18:11]]
3. In verse 7, Paul says, “God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” What examples does the sermon give of sowing to the flesh versus sowing to the Spirit? [[01:37:00]]
4. What is the meaning of “koinonia” as described in verse 6 and in the sermon? How is it more than just financial support? [[01:31:35]]

Interpretation Questions

1. Why does Paul emphasize restoring someone “in a spirit of gentleness” rather than with condemnation? What might happen if restoration is handled harshly instead? [[01:10:50]]
2. The sermon says that “bearing one another’s burdens is not optional; it is the very fulfillment of the law of Christ.” Why is this so central to Christian community, and what does it reveal about the nature of love? [[01:18:11]]
3. How does spiritual pride keep us from helping others or admitting our own need for help? What are some signs that pride might be blinding us? [[01:26:21]]
4. The principle of sowing and reaping is described as a spiritual law with eternal consequences. How does this affect the way we view our daily choices, especially when we don’t see immediate results? [[01:39:38]]

Application Questions

1. Think of a time when you saw someone in the church “caught” in a struggle or weakness. How did you or others respond? Was it with gentleness and patience, or with judgment? What would it look like to “restore” someone like mending a broken bone? [[01:10:50]]
2. Are you currently helping to bear someone else’s burden in a practical way? If not, what is one specific step you could take this week to share the weight of another’s struggle? [[01:18:11]]
3. The sermon challenges us to honest self-examination. Is there an area where pride or self-sufficiency is keeping you from asking for help or from helping others? How can you take a step toward humility this week? [[01:26:21]]
4. What are you “sowing” in your life right now—your time, energy, resources? Are there areas where you are sowing to the flesh instead of the Spirit? What is one change you could make to invest more intentionally in spiritual things? [[01:37:00]]
5. The idea of “koinonia” is about sharing life deeply as a spiritual family. What is one way you can move beyond surface-level fellowship to deeper partnership and sharing with someone in the church this month? [[01:31:35]]
6. When you face disappointment or unanswered prayers, like the loss of Deaconess Jackie, how do you process your grief and faith? What helps you persevere in doing good even when you don’t see immediate results? [[01:39:38]]
7. Paul says our boast and hope must be in Christ alone. What are you most tempted to boast in or rely on besides Christ? How can you shift your focus this week? [[01:47:44]]