Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
We have noted before that a big problem we as people have is with deception. Our minds are active, and the “god of this world” is busy trying to keep our minds in the dark. Along with deception comes pride. It is quite common for man to think more highly of himself than he ought to. This is a particular problem for the lost, but even saved people can be in the flesh and thus be deceived.
The New Evangelical crowd is convinced that there are categories of sin. Adultery, fornication, drugs, alcohol, rock music, etc. might be categorized as sin, but they are not serious. Indulging in some of that is ok. However, murder is a different story. That is what the New Evangelical crowd assumes. Thus there are thousands of people who are involved in all kinds of sins, but they claim to be saved and they assume that God is not that concerned about what they are doing.
Paul was directed by God that God will not be mocked by false professors. God has a righteous standard that must be met and that can be met by His true children. The difference will be between those who are saved and those who are not. The saved have the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide them. He, the Holy Spirit, will work in the conscience of the saved person through the Word of God, to show the saved person what is right and good.
Paul warned us that whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. If a person chooses to sow to the flesh, he can expect trouble. Corruption is the result. Those who sow to the Spirit, will reap of the Spirit life everlasting.
The law of sowing is that you always expect a greater harvest than the seed you put into the ground. The same is true in life. The person who sows to the flesh will reap more trouble than he sowed. Once the ‘horse is out of the barn’, you lose control of it. Now it takes over and the end result is disaster.
How much better when a person sows to the Spirit. He has the help of the Spirit to see a better result of his labours.
In verse 9 we see that patience is important in life. We do not always see the results of doing good right away. In fact, often times doing good will bring more trouble in the short term. We might see strong opposition to doing good and right for a time. However, as we remain faithful, there might just be some of those we have been seeking to help, who will turn to the truth. There is a time of reaping.
This is true in farming or gardening. You put the seed in the ground and the moisture is there and the nutrients are there and God provides the heat units and the seed sprouts and up comes a plant. Over time, that plant matures and you take off the harvest. God provides during the entire process. His child needs to walk humbly and be faithful and trust God to give the increase in His time.
In verse 10 we are challenged to do good to all men. We want to help the saved to grow stronger in the Lord. We want to see the lost turn to the Lord and be saved. We need to do good to all men, but especially unto those who are saved.
There is a difference. God does discriminate. His discrimination is justified. He will not cast His pearls to the swine. He makes His Word available to all. However, those who listen and respond favourably to His Word receive the forgiveness of sin and the peace of God and eternal life. They are blessed with things the lost would like to have, but they want it without repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
The devil has convinced the lost that life is better without God. However, he can only do so by deception. The reality is much different. Just this week there is a plea for the Manitoba health authorities to declare a health emergency due to the high number of drug related deaths. The government sets up tax-payer funded ‘safe injection’ sights and all that does is encourage more drug abuse. The only reason people choose those drugs is because they cannot find any relief from their guilty conscience. The only solution to that problem is repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. That message is forbidden in most public places.
True churches must remain true to the Lord. True churches will remain true to the Lord or else they are no longer true churches. Most churches are nothing more than social clubs without the liquor. They have the wild music and the immodest apparel. It may even get to the place where liquor is brought into those places.
True saints want to help others to enjoy the promises of God. True saints understand that this can only happen when the person turns to God in repentance and trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. True saints will help other true saints along in life. There could be someone with health needs that limit their ability to work, or the medical expenses might be more than they can deal with. There is also the need for morally clean places to socialize. Man is a social being. He is not designed to live in isolation. True saints can provide real fellowship with other saints. There can be honest Bible Studies and times of prayer, etc.
It is a blessing to know the true God.
Pastor Bartel