Title: Principles of Life

Text: Gal 6:7-10

When we concluded our last message we made a summary statement of what Paul said in 5:19-6:6. Avoid the sins of the flesh, continually walk in the Spirit, allowing the fruit of the Spirit to produce in your life in order for you to put your Faith to practical use. Love one another, and bear one another's burdens, flee from pride, be responsible and care for those who have taught you the Faith. You could call that a statement of how to live by faith.

This morning we will be looking at Gal 6:7-10. In these four verses Paul presents us with four foundational principles of spiritual life. Paul wrote:

7       Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

8       For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.

9       And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.

10     So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. (NAS)

The first principle has two parts and is found in verse one. It is stated in a negative way in the form of a warning. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked.” The first question is what does it mean to be deceived, and what are we being deceived about? To be deceived means to be deliberately misled into believing something false. To deceive someone is to deliberately lead them to believe something false. That’s what Satan did in the garden, he deceived and Adam and Eve were deceived.

Paul writing to the Ephesian church in Eph 5:6 wrote: “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” (NAS)

What are these empty words Paul was referring to that are leading astray? First, they have to do with the essential point of the Christian faith that is that Jesus is the Christ. We’ve shortened that phrase to Jesus Christ much like a first and last name, but in fact it is both a name and a title. When we use it , it encompasses all of the gospel message. In that name Jesus, we have the earthly or human name of God the Son, the name above all names emphasizing the incarnation – that God became flesh and dwelled among men. In the title Christ or Messiah which means God’s anointed, we have a proclamation of all Jesus was, all He came to do, all He accomplished and all He will accomplish and fulfill in the future.

In I Jn 2:22 John wrote , “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?” He continues, “This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.” In that same letter in chapter 4 verse 3, he wrote:

“. . .every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the {spirit} of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.” In his second letter II Jn 1:7 he wrote: “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ {as} coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.” (NAS)

So we understand the first part of this first principle is telling us don’t be led astray by anything or anyone or any message that would deny Jesus, or the gospel message which is fulfilled in Him; that men and women are saved totally by faith in Jesus Christ and as a response to God’s grace in salvation believers are to live according to the godly precepts that were presented and taught by Jesus and are found in the Bible.

The second half of that principle tells us why it’s important that we not be led astray – because God is not mocked. The word translated mocked in this verse is a rare verb that means to turn up your nose. It means to have contempt or disrespect for someone or something, in this particular case being led astray concerning the truth of Jesus Christ as revealed by God in the Bible is an affront and insult to God, which amounts to turning up your nose at Him.

The Judaizers in Galatia were examples of deceptive teachers and deceived people. They taught all that was necessary for righteousness was to follow outward rituals, and external observances. It didn’t matter there was nothing in their hearts as long as they did the right things. The problem with that is that with nothing in the heart, the old nature reigns supreme.

We can be led astray by deceptive teachers, and deceptive teaching, but we can also be led astray by self. When we reject God’s truth and replace it with a self made or self conceived philosophy of life or spirituality we deceive ourselves. When we say I believer there is a god, but I don’t believe the Bible or I believe there is a god, but I’ll relate to him in my own way. There may be good intentions in that kind of reasoning, but the result of course is we mock God. We mock Him by rejecting His revelation. When Paul says don’t be led astray God is not mocked, he doesn’t mean you can’t mock God, but that you can’t do so with impunity.

So the first principle says we are not to be deceived into thinking we can earn or work our way to heaven through the rituals of religion or through good works, salvation, or right standing before God, only comes through faith in Jesus who is the Christ. We should not be deceived into thinking can we arbitrarily live in any manner we choose, ignoring God and His moral and ethical standards. Both of these concepts are insults to God and can not be undertaken without facing the eternal consequence of separation from Him.

That sounds like a pretty serious warning. And, it is, but remember God has done everything possible throughout history to make sure men and women have opportunity to come to Him, on His terms. Through the written word, through the spoken word and ultimately through the Incarnate Living Word Jesus Christ, so that we are without excuse.

The second principle, found in verses 7 and 8, has been variously called the law of the harvest, or the law of sowing and reaping. I always think of the sower on top of our capital building when I think about this verse and I call it the law of the sower – simply put, you reap what you sow. It’s a spiritual principle that corresponds with the same physical principle of nature. We are well aware of it in Nebraska it says when you plant corn, you never get collards, most Nebraskans don’t know what collards are so I’m sure they never come up when you plant corn. Jesus said it this way in Matt. 7:16 ...Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles,"

The second principle also says not only do you reap what you so, you reap in like measure to what you sow. Verse eight says, “For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (NAS)

In the phrase, “sows to his own flesh,” the word flesh, as in other places in Galatians, refers to the sinful nature. Sowing to his own flesh refers to allowing the humanistic, materialistic world view to dominate life. Putting yourself in the center of your world instead of God. The results of that kind of lifestyle is corruption. Corruption in this passage basically means destruction, destruction is not annihilation as some teach rather as it is set against eternal life it refers to eternal death or eternal damnation as Jesus describes in Mark 9:43-44.

When a person sows a life apart from God the result is spiritual corruption and spiritual death. They may not deny there is a god, they may even live good moral lives. But a life without faith in Christ, even a good life results in spiritual death or eternal separation from God.

If you're continually sowing to the flesh, what you do is continue the process of hardening your heart towards God through unbelief. The more you live in the flesh, the harder your heart becomes, and the harder it is to believe. Jesus explained what that kind of life would reap in Matt 25:46. Jesus was talking about judgement using the metaphor of separating sheep from goats, where the sheep represent the righteous or saved and the goats representing those who have rejected him, those who have sown a life of the flesh and referring to the goats he says: "And these will go away into eternal punishment. . .” (NAS) In a similar way in II Th 1:9 Paul wrote , “And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” (NAS)

The opposite is also true, however, if you sow to the Spirit. Paul wrote, from the Spirit you shall reap eternal life. If the works of the flesh result in corruption and decay a life characterized by the fruit of the Spirit results in eternal life. While eternal life has theological implications speaking of the future destiny of believers united with God in glory, it also goes beyond that. It is a present possession of every believer. The very life of God – Father, son and Spirit is graciously bestowed on God’s children through faith in Christ. We have a wonderful, glorious inheritance awaiting us in heaven, but we also have the eternal abundant life of Christ now.

I read this somewhere and thought it was appropriate for what Paul was saying. Sow a thought, reap an act; Sow an act, reap a habit; Sow a habit, reap a character; Sow a character, reap a destiny.

The third principle found in verse 9 is about perseverance, it says keep on keeping on....Don't Lose Heart. Maybe you've given up on sowing good things, because you didn't see any results, but the Bible says keep at it. One of the projects I remember from elementary school, which was a long time ago, was planting seeds in Styrofoam cups full of dirt, actually I think we used Dixie cups when I was in school. I believe we’ve done that same kind of project here in Sunday School. I remember the frustration I had going to my cup every day and seeing nothing there. I'd think I must have done something wrong or the seed wasn’t good. But, eventually, that little green shoot began to pop up out of the dirt, and leaves would begin to form, and a little plant would grow. The fact is when you sow, you've got to plant that seed, water it and be patient.

James wrote in 5:7,8 ...Behold, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts...

The truth is, not only do you will reap what you sow, and you reap in like manner with what you sow, but you do sow, and what you sow is either sow good or bad. There is no such thing as not sowing, doing nothing is sowing to the flesh, because it is the flesh that says don’t do anything or stop doing what you’ve been doing because you’re not benefitting, or do only things that get you noticed, or get you praised or bring immediate rewards. But the Bible says persevere, keep on sowing good things because in due time you’ll reap your reward.

Just about everyone in my neighborhood seems to have a better lawn than mine. They fertilize, they manicure, they keep it watered, they put lots of time and effort into having beautiful lawns. On the other hand, I’ve kind of gone at it halfheartedly and of course we have reaped what we’ve sown and they have lawns that look much better!

I’ve noticed when I go to the gym, and believe it or not I do go regularly, the ones in the best shape are the ones who've been working out the longest and are most faithful. When I see musicians, I realize the good ones are the ones who've put in the practice.

For years now, I've wanted to learn to speak Portuguese, to be able to minister in Brazil. But I've never accomplished it because I really haven't put any effort into it. I have reaped exactly what I’ve sown.

Do you ever look at spiritually mature believers and just know you'll never be as godly as her, you'll never be as joyful as him, you’ll never have that same level of maturity or assurance they seem to have? They didn't get that way overnight. That peace, assurance, joy came from perseverance. It was developed or reaped through years of prayer and fellowship, through reading and studying the Bible, through active worship and continual church service, through many trials and difficulties.

That’s the kind of life you should desire and expect as a child of God. God’s given you everything necessary to achieve that kind of life, but you must keep going, don’t become discouraged when things don’t go the way you planned or thought they should, don't get weary, keep on. The Bible says you will reap in direct proportion to what you sow. Paul said,

2Cor. 9:6 ...he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. How much are you investing in your spiritual life?

The fifth principle says do good to everyone. One of the best ways to sow good, spiritual seed is to do good to others, especially those in the body of Christ. Consider how you might do good to others, a neighbor, a friend, a co-worker. I'm talking about active good. More than just a smile and a handshake. Offering to help with a project, actively meeting a need, finding out where people are and where they need help, then meeting them there, meeting their needs, helping them out. Let me urge you to minister the love of Christ to people that need to be reminded of it. To experience that love yourself in new and exciting ways as you minister to others.

Paul wrote, while you have the opportunity. There is no time like the present to do good to others. If you're single, you might think you have the time but not the resources. If you're married, you think you don’t have the time even if you do have the resources. As you get older you think you don’t have the energy. But the truth is old or young, married are single there are always opportunities and ways in which we can do good to others. Seize the opportunities you have now to reach out and do good to others.

Christianity is about a relationship that affects all of life. Let’s take these principles, apply them to our lives so that our relationship with Christ will be one characterized by an active, alive, responsive faith. Let God take your life and make your life useful to Him. Sow a thought, reap an act; Sow an act, reap a habit; Sow a habit, reap a character; Sow a character, reap a destiny.