Restoring Your Brother

Restoring your brother
Galatians 6:1

Sermon by Jack Nazary

Pleasant Hill Baptist - July 1981

Introduction:

1. Christ expects us to take a deep interest in one another.
2. Our special interests should be drawn toward the troubles of others.
Burdens of Sin
Burdens of Sorrow
Burdens of Care
Burdens of Doubt
3. It is our duty to bear these burdens
By sympathy
By active relief
4. To bear one another's burdens is to fulfill the law of Christ.

I. Restoration of fallen brother.
Overtaken - one surprised by the fault itself - hurried into sin - sinned before he thought it through

Sin in a Christian's life that is known and cherished causes the fellowship between the saint and God to be broken.

That which restores the fellowship is confession - 1 John 1:9 - This restoration is an act of God.

God sometimes uses another Christian as a channel through which he can work to bring the sinning saint to the place where he will confess his sin.

Restore - to reconcile factions, to set broken bones, to mend nets, to equip or prepare.

Paul in speaking here of a born again believer, a child of God.

As a believer - a member of the body, of which Christ is the head - Ephesians 1:22-23: 5:23, 30
1. Saint with sin in his life, not in correct relationship to the head and the rest of the body, as an arm out of joint. He is still a member of the body, as a dislocated arm.
2. Life of head still abides in the saint as life in human head still flows through the dislocated arm.
3. Dislocated arm useless to body and head and will obey neither. So the saint is useless and will obey neither.
4. Dislocated arm is a hindrance to the body and head. So the saint who is out of fellowship is a hindrance to the church and to Christ, the head.
5. The arm is a source of pain to both body and head. So is a Christian who is out of fellowship with God, a source of heart pain to Christ and the church.
6. The arm is extremely painful in itself, so a saint out of fellowship is a miserable Christian.
7. The longer the arm is out of joint the more painful it becomes and the harder it is to put back. So the saint becomes more miserable and harder to restore to fellowship.

Thank God we can be restored -
1. From the standpoint of cleansing restoration to fellowship is the work of the Lord as advocate - 1 John 2:1-2
2. Restoration here spoken of is bringing the saint to the place where he will confess his sin.

God uses Spiritual men
1. Putting arm back in joint is delicate work and should be undertaken only by a doctor who uses a gentle way.
2. Christian worker must be spiritual to do this work.
3. A spirit-filled saint who permits God to work through him, gently, tactfully, lovingly, wooing the saint away from his sin and to the place of confession.
4. The spirit filled Christian prays and speaks with him. The work is done by the Holy Spirit.
5. The spirit filled saint must work in an humble, meek and gentle way, remembering that he is subject to temptation.

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary!

Exactly 13 years ago, I married my most precious gift from God, Brian Jones. I can still remember the first time I saw him at Wal-mart of all places. I knew right then and there that he was the "one". I know some people don't believe in love at first sight, but I am here to tell you it is very real. I was lost in 1996. On the outside, it looked like I had it all together. I had earned my Master's degree, got a great job, and bought a house. Everything was moving along great until one faithful day in June of 1996 everything changed. I received a phone call from my grandfather telling me my dear grandmother was gone. I had been so selfish for so long neglecting my monthly visits with her - choosing to stay to have fun with my friends. It was ridiculous now looking back, but I was just so self-absorbed and confused. Everything changed that day. For a while, I continued to function from day to day, but I was lost. I began to spiral out of control by drinking and spending money trying to quench the guilt. Nothing worked. I hated going to work everyday and nothing made sense. For some reason, I decided to quit my job, sell my house, and move back home. It seemed crazy at the time, but I knew I had to do it. I began to complete my counseling internship at SHS barely making any money and living with my parents. It was hard for me after I had felt such a sense of accomplishment just a year before. I always liked to believe that my dear grandmother had something to do with all the changes I made that led me to Brian. She has to be my guardian angel! So, there I was back in Senatobia in the fall of 1996 at Wal-mart and there he was. It took some doing, but I figured out who he was and it just so happened that my friend Laura worked right next door to Brian. I asked her about him because I was certain he had a girlfriend. She talked to his secretary, Leslie, who assured her he was single and they began to play matchmaker. I was horrified because I was not the kind of girl to let a guy know she was interested, but this was different. I will skip through the embarrassing stuff to our first date - November 23, 1996. Everyone - I mean everyone said we would not have fun because neither one of us would talk. I had even gathered intel on his interests in case there was a lull in the conversation. However, we didn't stop talking the entire night. I came home and woke my mom up to inform her that I was going to marry Brian. She still laughs at me for my certainty. I knew and 3 months later we were married. Here we are 13 years later still going strong. I love him completely and I look forward to many more years together. I know we were made for each other and brought together by God. I am so thankful that God allowed me to change "my" plans so that I would be led back home to Brian.

I made this video for Brian.

No Difference

No Difference
Romans 10

Sermon by Jack Nazary

I. No difference in need of...

salvation - all sinners
by nature - totally depraved
by choice

II. No difference in God's provision for salvation - John 3:16
"He who knew no sin became sin"
Isaiah 53:6 "all we like sheep"

III. No difference in conditions of salvation
1. repent - Acts 20:21; Luke 13:3
2. believe - Acts 16:31; John 3:16
3. receive - John 1:12

IV. No difference in results of salvation
forgiveness
reconciliation - peace
deliverance from Satan's control
eternal life
adopted into God's family
sealed by Holy Spirit (indwelt)
acceptance
placed under providing and keeping power of God
power for living
subject to Father's chastening
prospect of changed body - deliverance from body-corruptible
abundant life
fullness of Spirit
witnesses