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.

The Bible is very clear that there are consequences to our choices. God taught Adam that before he ever sinned. Adam was created without sin. He did not have a sin nature. He was not a god. He was a human being that was unique. Eve was also unique in that same way. They were free from sin. God gave Adam work to do prior to his fall. God knows that man needs to be occupied in profitable ventures. We know that Adam was told, by God, to name all the animals. He was to report back to God with the names. The Bible tells us that God accepted the names that Adam gave to the animals.
In Genesis 2 God commanded the man that there was one tree in the midst of the Garden whose fruit he was not to eat.

Genesis 2:16  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

We are not told at what point after Creation week the devil became the devil. We know that he fell at some point, but we are not told when. We do know that at the end of Creation week God looked at everything that He had made and He pronounced it “very good”.
In Genesis 3 we are introduced to the devil. We are told that he appeared unto the woman as a serpent. We are told that he was more subtle than all the beasts of the field that the Lord God had made. Revelation 12:9 tells us that this serpent was the devil. He deceived Eve, but Adam sinned wilfully. The Bible tells us that Adam brought sin into the world, not the devil.
Adam had all the knowledge he needed to choose wisely when he was confronted with the need to make that choice. Adam failed to trust in God and chose to make a foolish and deadly choice. He not only sinned, but he plunged humanity into sin with his one act of disobedience.
Genesis 3 records that there was an immediate change in man’s relationship with God when he sinned. His nature was changed. Not only did he disobey God, but after that he was also a false accuser and a liar. He accused God of being the cause of his fall by that woman that He had made. We have all picked up on Adam’s post-fall nature. We are all born sinners and we all are liars as lost sinners. There are many other things we could put in there as well.
Today I want us to look at one specific issue in the context of our opening verses.
Back in 2015 when Mr. Trudeau was running to become the P.M. of Canada, he made a promise to legalize marijuana use in Canada. There was a segment of the population that cheered him on in that wicked announcement. There are some within the libertarian mindset that tend to be of the mentality that we all need to make choices and as long as your choices do not intrude in my life then let them be. Libertarianism, like all human philosophies, is very short-sighted.
The Bible never mentions the word “marijuana”. The Bible warns of the dangers of alcohol consumption. It is very clear on that.
There is a word in the New Testament that has a direct relationship to drug use. The Greek word or a variation of that Greek word is found 5 times in the New Testament. The Greek word is “pharmakeia”. That word and the forms of that word all have to do with drug use. That word or a form of that word is found in Galatians 5:20, translated as “witchcraft”; in Revelation 9:21; 18:23; translated as “sorceries”; and in Revelation 21:8; 22:15 as “sorcerers”.
Reports have stated that at least 25% of those who use marijuana are schizophrenic. A person that is diagnosed as schizophrenic is said to be someone who interprets reality abnormally. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behaviour that impairs daily functioning, and can be disabling.
Some reports of the recent shooter in the U.S. are from interviews with people who know him and know the family. He was a would-be rapper. He was also into using marijuana. It is reported that over the past few years his behaviour changed more for the worse. It is quite possible that his drug use was affecting his mind. This in no way excuses him from what he has done.
God warns us in Galatians 6 that we reap what we sow. Paul is referencing back to Galatians 5 in that context. There are consequences that people do not plan for when they reject God and follow the lies of the devil. We know that our PM has used marijuana as well. His mother was also into using that drug. We know that he is a ruthless ruler who is very unreasonable and also does not interpret reality in a normal manner. He proved that in his response to the ‘freedom movement”. He has chosen to label those involved in that movement in a very derogatory manner and he has convinced the police to use unnecessary force to try to intimidate them. The judiciary has also been influenced in the wrong way by his wickedness. Lost people make very foolish choices. They place their hope and trust in wicked people and they are blinded by their sinful nature.
The Bible warns us of the consequences of sin. We know that drug use has been around for a long time. We also know that man is capable of evil without the use of drugs. The point is that when a person chooses to reject God and go his own way, he will choose things that will be detrimental to his heart and mind. Some of those things have severe consequences that have disastrous effects on that person and also on others around them.
We see again the importance of the Gospel of Christ. We see the importance of being a faithful witness and seeking to help others to know the truth. The truth has never been popular, however the truth is always the right thing. The truth is what sets a person free from the bondage of sin if the person will receive it.
We are living in perilous times. The answer to this is not to walk around in fear. It is to be saved and to walk soberly with the Lord. Feed on His Word. Be faithful in a good church and grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray for others and be a light in this dark world.
Pastor Bartel