Reaping and Sowing

Good Morning and welcome to another week of church here at the Bridge. I am so glad that we could be together this morning. I appreciate the week off and enjoyed some time away with my family. It is good though to be back with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and i am thankful for that this morning.

Riding the Coasters

One of the fun things that we did while were on vacation was that we went to Dollywood. For our kids this was one of the first experiences they had ever had going to an amusement park. They hadn’t really been able to experience that yet in life. Angie and I were really looking forward to riding some roller coasters because we love to ride them. Thankfully Ayndria and Isaac are both tall enough now that they were able to ride pretty much anything in the park. We decided to start out simple and ride a basic indoor coaster that was in the park. For the most part the kids enjoyed it. Ayndria wasn’t so sure she liked it. We decided that a big part of it was because it was dark and she couldn’t see what was happening.

Knowing it was important for her to get on another to really experience a roller coaster we headed toward another coaster. Now, I Feel it is important that i mention that we had never been to this park. We had no idea what the coasters were like. With that being said we decided that we would ride the Tennessee tornado. That might have been a mistake.

Insert Tennessee Tornado Picture

The Tennessee tornado is a steel coaster that goes around 70 miles per hour and flips you upside down and all around. Now remember we didn’t know this. WE got into line because it was a shorter line and we knew it would be a more intense coaster but we didn’t know how intense. There was a point in line that I looked up and i saw the loops and the corkscrews and I thought to myself Uh oh. This isn’t going to be good. We were already in line and I didn’t want to get out and I still thought it would be fun for the kids to experience it. I knew though that if Ayndria saw the loops she would not be interested in this Coaster. I might have done something a little deceitful.

The Great Deception

Alright some might call it a pretty big deception on my part of my poor child. I made sure i stood in front of her so she couldn’t see the loops and twists of this coaster.

I know horrible right.

We got on the coaster I sat next to Isaac and Angie next to Ayndria and we were off. Up and down all around at high speeds. Like I said earlier i knew that did a lot of flips and turns but I wasn’t prepared for the speed. Neither were the kids. After we got off the coaster Ayndria was pretty much done with roller coasters for the day. You could tell that the rest of the day she didn’t quite trust us when it came to rides and how scary they may have been. Now I want to end this story on a high note. She did trust us enough to go on a Log ride and she fell in love with it even though she was scared at first of the final drop. It quickly became her favorite ride. I think some day we will get her back on some coasters and she will love them, but for now not a chance.

This morning we are going to start looking at Galatian chapter 6. We will be out of this passage this week and for the next couple as we break down this passage and what it means for us today and how we can apply it to our lives. This morning though tt was the deception though that was powerful this morning to me and the passage that we will be looking at this morning. It connected to me to the fact that we can easily be deceived if we aren’t careful in a lot of areas of our lives.

Turn with me to Galatians 6:7-10

Galatians 6:7–10 NIV

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Do Not Be Deceived

The very first line of this mornings passage is an important one for us this morning. The truth is that we live in a world that is in a constant state of trying to deceive us.

Deceive-Cause someone to believe something that is not true

There are a lot of truths out there today. Many people stand on different sides arguing and fighting about what the truth is. As individuals we are tasked with determining the truth and figuring out what is the actual truth.

Now let’s be honest many topics are very nuanced and aren’t as simple as a yes or no. I won’t deny that. However, when it comes to matters of spiritual things we must be reminded that there is one truth. We hold to the truth that the only way to God is through Jesus and his death and Resurrection. Jesus makes that clear for us in

John 14:6 NIV

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

We live in a world that we can’t be deceived. This isn’t a new idea of people who come to believe in Jesus. The Galatians were struggling with this as well. The outside forces of the world were trying to influence and lead them astray just like today. The Galatians were being led astray though in a specific area that is one of great importance.

Galatians 6:7 NIV

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

God Cannot be Mocked

Have you ever thought about what it means to be mocked. When it comes to my mind i always go to Baseball.

“Hey Batter Batter” or “We want a pitcher not a belly itchier”

Now of course those are some cute and fun ways of getting under someones skin or causing them to mess up. Or you might be thinking of the idea that the catcher might be whispering things to the batter to distract them. When this is portrayed in movies it is usually done through insults and mockery. Trying to get the batter to mess up. Is that the type of mockery we are talking about when it comes to Mocking God.

The Greek word for Mock only appears here in the NT. Usually when that happens it is of note because it is an uncommon word. It is an idea that should grab our attention. In this incident it can be understood as...

Mocked--To turn ones nose up to, ridicule, or to treat with contempt

Can you imagine for a moment what it means for us to turn our nose up to God.

You all know that one kid or even adult who is a picky eater. They turn their nose up to any food no matter how good it might be. That is this idea that even though God is Good and there for us we turn our nose up to him. We ridicule him. We mock him. WE show him contempt. It grabbed my attention because this is a serious issue for us today. We know that God is love. He loves us so much he sent Jesus to die on the cross for us. Yet, we forget that God is also a God of Justice, and holiness. He has commands and expectations for us. In many ways we Mock God when we live our lives contrary to the Word of God. When we knowingly sin against him. When we turn from what he has for us and reject it or turn our noses up to it.

Thankfully God is also full of Grace. He doesn’t reject us just because we fail or fall short but he forgives us. This is the hope that we can have. This is the joy that we have. This is the reason we don’t need to fear God but this passage reminds us the importance of respecting God. We need to be reminded that God’s grace came at a great cost and it wasn’t cheap when Jesus died on the cross for us. We need to respect that and appreciate that. This leads us to a life that we need to be reminded of how we live.

Galatians 6:8 NIV

8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Reap what you Sow

This is a classic saying. You reap what you sow. If you plant wheat you will get wheat. If you plant flowers you will get flowers. If you plant weeds you will get weeds. It is truth of the world. If you sow good things than good things could come to you. If you sow hardship you will probably face hard times.

One of the aspects that Paul is trying to convey to us is that there are both a moral/spiritual side of this problem and an actual physical side of this idea of reaping what you sow. This can be seen in the direct reference to the flesh.

An example of this is a person who lives a life of drunkenness. While there are moral implications of living a life of drunkenness, the Bible tells us that it is a sin.

Ephesians 5:18 NIV

18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,

Drunkenness is seen as contrary to the will of God. Instead we are to seek his spirit. When we intoxicate our minds the point of drunkenness we lose sight of his Spirit and that leads to all kinds of trouble. These are the moral implications.

The Physical implications are also important. The person who lives by the flesh or commits to drink regularly we know that this can cause liver damage, harm personal relationships, possibly abuse, and even death. The list of the physical real world implications are numerous. Sins or desires of the flesh are not just rules that we follow because of moral reasons but they also have physical implications. You Reap what you Sow.

We also know though that we this phrase is expressive of a life in the Spirit.

Galatians 6:8 (NIV)

8 whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

A life that is lived following God is a life that is promised eternal life. There is no earthly promise that things will go exactly as you want them to. This isn’t a prosperity Gospel message. This is a message of truth that we are to live for Him and we will receive our reward in heaven.

There is one last great insight that we gain from this passage.

Galatians 6:9–10 NIV

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Do Good (don’t grow tired)

We are called as Christians to do Good.

This is such an important aspect of our faith that we can’t ever forget. We are called to be servants. We are called to care for the world. This became even more apparent to me this past week. There were a lot of people who were happy and upset with what the Supreme Court did the other week. The first thought that came to my mind was not celebration, and it wasn’t anger as so many have expressed.

Now before anyone might get upset by that you need to make sure you hear this. My first thought was that well that changes the world around us. The work now changes. My first thoughts were of the women and children in our world that need our help. Now about emotions surrounding a “controversial” topic in our culture. It went to the opportunities for us to do good in the world. To care for others. Not to fight or cause pain but to help. I was reminded that we are called to do good. It is time to do more good and help those who are hurting around us.

WE can’t ever grow tired of doing good. This is a hard thing to do at times because we often don’t get to see the results of doing good. Sometimes we are the one to plant the seed. Sometimes we are the one to cultivate the seed. sometimes we are the one to harvest. It is easy to see that the harvest is the only thing of value though. That is because the harvest has numerical value. It is a reward. Yet, we have to be patient and diligent in our acts of service.

One final side note that i wanted to share with you. We are called to do good to the world. This is 100% true. Look around though. Your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We have even more responsibility to each other to do good and to care for one another.

Conclusion

We are called to live a life that is focused on God. WE are called to serve and honor him. We are called to be servants of God. This is the message Paul was sharing with the Galatians. To not be fooled into thinking that you could live a life of mockery of God and escape without consequences. You Reap what you Sow right.

He also called them and reminded them that a life that is devoted to our earthly desires instead of the Spirit is going to lead to trouble. Both in the harm that it causes to our relationship with God and our own physical bodies. We are called to live a life devoted to the Spirit so that we can receive our reward in heaven. You Reap what you Sow Right.

Last, we are called to do good. To serve the world. To love on the world. To meet the needs of this world. To be diligent and not not lose heart but to focus on how we can help those around us. Also, when we do that for the world we must make sure that our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are taken care of because we are Family after all. We Reap what we Sow right.

We reap what we Sow. Let us go Sow goodness, love, kindness, and passion for God into the world and look for the harvest.

Let us Pray.