Is God Mocked
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. [1]
Have you ever been mocked? Ever have someone turn up their nose at you or laugh scornfully at you? One of the worst feelings in the world is being mocked. I remember when I was a young kid, working so hard in wrestling and going to the kids state tournament. I wanted to win it all. I believed with all my heart that I could make it to the finals. One match I wrestled was against a kid that I had always gone back and forth with. I knew I was the better wrestler, but somehow he just always seemed to get some lucky roll or something at the last minute and catch me in a bad position. Well, as I recall, this is likely what happened in this particular match. I lost. I was devastated. I worked so hard and did extra running and tried with all my strength and energy and came up short. I was crushed. I walked over to the side threw my headgear on the floor and sank down with my hands over my head. I couldn’t fight back the tears as anger and frustration filled me, but I covered my head in shame as crowds of kids, workers and parents surrounded me in the chaos of the tournament. I will never forget hearing some kid nearby say to me, “It’s alright to cry” and begin laughing with his buddies hysterically. In a moment of great frustration and sadness, I was being mocked. I will never forget it.
The problem with mocking is it goes right after your very being. It strives to crush you as a person. It takes that which is utterly serious and important to you and turns it into a joke and derision. Something that is serious, and important is made out to be a stage for ridicule.
God’s word is filled with teaching about how life is supposed to be lived and for what purpose life exists. God shows us the penalty of sin and his strict justice through his willingness to take his own Son and crush him on account of our sin and wickedness. He says, “Here is the gift you have received. Go live a life in response to my grace and love.” It is serious to God. One look at the cross and we can see how serious he is about life transformation. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter because of our guilt and rebellion. How do you think God will respond to those who try to mock his message? What will the Holy one do to those who treat grace with contempt?
Jason with Daman’s hat. He loved that hat, and Jason was mocking him with the possession of it. Unaware of the pellet gun sitting next to the window.
One minute laughing and joking and enjoying himself with something that was not his, and the next staring down the barrel of a pellet gun. Thought he was safe, but could not mock and get away with it.
“Do not be deceived,” Paul writes, “God cannot be mocked.” You cannot thumb your nose at God and get away with it. You cannot ignore his instruction or act bored with his blessings. You cannot laugh at what God takes serious and be calloused toward his commands. Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked. I would say we would all agree with this.
Is God mocked? We must look at our lives honestly and with the Word of God as a backdrop and ask the question, “Is God mocked?”
Paul uses the analogy of a farmer who sows his seed. You can’t go out and throw gravel into the ground and expect to get a crop of wheat. You can’t lay on your couch all day when it is time to plant and expect within a few months to have a harvest of grain. You remember the story Jesus told about the man in Matthew 13 which represents God who went out and sowed good seed into his field. Yet later when the crop began to spring up, weeds or tares began to sprout up also. The servant which signifies one of the angels said, “Sir, didn’t you sow good seed into your field? Where did the tares come from.” “An enemy did this.” The person who sows good seed expects a good crop.
Therefore, in order to answer the question, “Is God mocked?” we must ask ourselves “What are we sowing?” and “What do we expect to reap?” The Word of God is sharper than a double-edged sword, judging the thoughts and actions of the heart. I love God’s Word. There is no comparison between one Christian and another. No pecking order and no special treatment. It brings every man and woman to the same level and calls them to look at their lives in contrast to the calling of God. There is not hidden thing that will not be made known. It exposes us for who we are at the very essence of our being. “Look at your life!” Scripture demands. Are you prepared to have it placed under the lens of God? Scripture warns, “What you sow, you will reap!”
In this world there are hidden motives and masked intentions. But not before God. I remember when I was at Campus Christians there was young man who came up to me and shared how cruel he was treated by another church. Clearly the guy was a bit rough around the edges, but he seemed friendly. He said that a pastor told him he was going to hell. The discussion went on and he shared some of his hardships and said he was down on his luck and needed some help. I was happy to come to his aid. From time to time the guy would come back with similar stories and troubles. I learned from other ministers that he was a local druggie who had been given tons of help and opportunity from various ministries to get help. Some of the ministries went to extremes to get him in a place so he could sober up and get his life back. But he would always ultimately refuse the help. One day he game in and I found him sharing his hard-luck stories and asking for help from the students in our Campus house. I asked the students to leave and he looked at me with the “Uh-oh” look. I said, “John, (I forget his name but will call him John) I know what your are doing. I am sorry if some other pastor has said you are going to hell, I am not going to tell you that because God decides those things. But I will tell you this. I know what you are doing. You are using Jesus and the sympathies of well-meaning Christians to extract money for your own personal pleasures. My fear for you is that if you continue to use Jesus for your selfish purposes that you will become so caloused to who Jesus really is and the grace of God in Jesus that you will never be able to really hear and understand what Jesus did for you and you will pay eternal consequences for your actions. I do not want that to happen. But I will not allow you to come in here any longer and prey on these kids because of their love for Jesus.
God is not mocked. A man will reap what he sows. God is not mocked. Who you really are will be made known. God is not duped, God is not fooled, God is not mocked. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is tell someone the truth in love and pray that they will come to their senses!
So what are you sowing? If you take an honest look at your heart and your intentions and how you live your life day to day, what are you sowing? What are you planting? You see, ultimately there are two options. You sow towards the flesh, or you sow toward the Spirit. The NIV translates this the “sinful nature.” This is an accurate translation theologically, but not literally. It means the flesh. If you are planting to please the desires of this body, this life, and personal ambitions, Paul says, be prepared for destruction to sprout. YOU CANNOT LIVE AS THOUGH GOD DOES NOT EXIST AND REAP REWARD. Look at this body! It will not last! Paul instructs us not to live to please it’s desires and passions. Its passions will pass, its desires will dissolve, but the person who does the will of God will live forever.
Paul says, “Rather, sow toward the Spirit and you will reap eternal life.” How do you sow toward the Spirit? Last week we spoke about God as our Shepherd and what that means. How we follow God, how we trust God, and how we rely on God as a good and ever-present Shepherd. The Spirit is not a thing, but a person that dwells in the heart of the believer. So how do you sow toward a person? Two words, faith and love.
Galatians 5:5-6
Faith: You must trust that Jesus Christ is enough for you. The cross of Christ is all of God’s grace and all you will ever need to be right before him. Christ is sufficient for me! Oh the joy it brings the heart to know that my debt is paid in full. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness! You wanna roll out of the bed on the right side with the Spirit in command, you put these words in your mind as your first thought each morning, “My debt…is paid…in full!” Repeat that with me. REPEAT! Maybe you have seen the bumper sticker, “I owe, I owe. Its off to work I go!” Not with God. Your debt is paid if you trust in the cross of Christ. Believe it and receive it. Your debt is paid in full!
Love: When you begin to really believe that, and trust in that fact, love is the result. Your faith will be expressed in love. As you fill yourself with the grace of God in Christ and a cancelled debt with God there is nothing but love left. You do not have to conjure it up, but simply allow it to flow out of a grateful heart that is focused upon the grace of God. Let the Spirit take you to new depths of Christ’s love and gift to you and it will produce a rich harvest of love that pours out to those around you. We are not under law that says you must do this and that. Rather we live under grace that fills us with the love of God. Paul says, just go love people.
You are the hose, faith is the spicket and love is the water. When your faith increases that spicket turns and the love of God flows through you to others.
Don’t get weary. Don’t stop showing love, especially to other believers. Church is to be characterized by love.
Ultimately we will all get planted. The life you live determines what kind of seed you will be. If you were to die today, what kind of seed would you be? What kind of crop would you produce? Are you walking in grace, flowing with Gods love and longing for the return of your Lord? Are you living for this life and for this flesh? I have only one more question for you this morning and we will close. A question as you look at your life and its direction in all honesty this morning. Is God mocked?
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[1]The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Ga 6:7-10). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.