Do Not Be Deceived – God Is Not Mocked Part 4
Scriptures: Gal. 6:7-9; Psalm 62:12; Rom. 2:5-7; 1 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 20:11-12
Introduction
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows this he will also reap. 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. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” Gal. 6:7-9
Today we celebrate our sixth year of being a Church. Wow! It has been six years since we had our first service. A lot has happened in those six years. In this final message of this series, I want to offer you a promise, some encouragement and a guaranteed return on your investment in this ministry according to God’s Word. The promise, the words of encouragement and the guarantee of a return on your investment is found in Galatians 6:7-9. This morning God wants all of us to understand that we will reap from what we are sowing here in this place or whatever Church you are a member of.
We started this Church in 2002 with two other families. There have been others who have come through the doors; some have stayed while others left. Some left because they were frustrated with working in a “small” Church. Some left because they became offended. Some left because they did not feel the Church was growing fast enough or they felt they could be fed better somewhere else. Regardless of the reason they did not stay, there were some good people who crossed our paths but decided that this was not the Church that could meet their needs. This will always be the case with churches, people will come and people will go as they continue their search for a place where they believe their family can best be served.
Then we have those who have come and have stayed. In this group we have those who are workers and those who just want to come and be fed. Again, this is common as in 95% of Churches you will find a few people doing a lot within the Church while others are hesitant to get involved. This morning I want to encourage you, if you are not actively involved in some ministry, to step up. For those of you who are functioning in several areas, I want to encourage you not to give up.
I. Reason To Get Involved
There are several Scriptures that tell us the benefits of working within the Church or in helping others. Although some people prefer to do their work outside of the Church (volunteering in different organizations – which is good) there is also a benefit to working within your local Church. We are going to examine several Scriptures from the Old and New Testament that acts as a promise not only for those who get involved, but also for those who choose not to get involved. We will start with what David said in Psalm 62:12. “And lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord. For You recompense a man according to his work.” (Psalm 62:12) In this verse David stresses that God is a loving God who will reward each man according to his work. Notice that David first stresses that God is a loving God and it is the “loving” God who will reward man according to what he does. Turn to Jeremiah chapter 17.
In Jeremiah 17:10, God says “I, the Lord, search the heart; I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.” In this verse we hear from God’s own mouth that He is going to reward man according to what he does. Now remember, this “reward” can be either good or bad, depending on how you lived your life. Think of this in terms of having a job. You do the job well and you get paid. If you do not do the job well, you will eventually lose that job. In either case, you are receiving something based on what you did. This is what God is saying. We will receive “something” based on what we are doing while we are here on earth. This is the point where the decision, while we are yet alive, and can influence our future rewards, Once we die, it’s over. Now jump over to the New Testament to the second chapter of the book of Romans.
Paul states the following in Romans 2:5-7: “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God who will render to each person according to his deeds; to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.” Paul confirms that those who are not living according to God’s ways will receive in the end according to how they lived here on earth. He states that those who are persevering through good works will receive their eternal life while those who are not obeying the truth will not. Again, regardless of how someone chooses to live their life, they will receive something on the day of judgment based on what they have earned – or what some would say, “what they have coming to them.” Now turn with me to the book of Peter, the first chapter.
Peter actually offers a warning in 1 Peter 1:17. He says: “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth.” Did you understand what he was saying? He said if you call God your Father, “the one who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during your stay on earth.” Focus on the word “impartially”. What Paul is telling us is that if we call God our Father, we should understand that He is an impartial judge, meaning that He will not show favoritism when He is handing out rewards. You see, God is not like we are. As a parent, we make allowances for “our favorite” child, the one who pleases us the most. Even though we have two kids who act the exact same way, if one pleases us more than the other, we will not punish them in the same fashion as the one who does not please us. Well, God is not like that – He will reward exactly what someone has earned. After Peter stresses this, he says “conduct yourselves in fear during your stay on earth.” Peter was stressing the point that we do not get a free pass, we will reap what we have sown and God being impartial as He is will reward each man according to His work. There is one additional Scripture that will tie all of this up for us. Turn to Revelations, chapter 20.
Revelations 20:11-12 says “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.” I was asked a question a couple of weeks ago about how someone could live and be evil all of their life and then die and go to heaven and receive their rewards. I shared with the person that this is not the case. Everything that we have read up to this point proves that man will still before God and that God will judge man according to his deeds. When we stand before God it will not be so that He can determine who is going to heaven and who will be in the lake of fire; that decision is made at the time you take your last breath, which again makes what Peter said about being careful while we are here on earth more important.
As you read further in this chapter, you’ll find that when the book of life is opened, the names of those within it will receive eternal life with God. Those names that are not within it will also receive eternal life, but it will not be with God. Now notice what John said in verse 12. He said “books were opened and another book was opened which is the Book of Life.” There was more than one book that was opened. All of these books contained the records of our life. While we are living, entries are made and erased (when our sins are forgiven), but when the die, the last entry is made and the final decision is set. So those books that contain all of our records are opened as we stand before God. Then, when the book of life is opened, a search is made for our names. If our name is not found, we are cast into the lake of fire. Now you may be wondering why there is a judgment at all if the decision is already made about our eternity when we die. The answer is this: the judgment will determine, for a Christian, what rewards you will receive. Some people are saved and will get to heaven, but because they did not do any works here on earth, they will not receive any additional rewards – but they will still be saved. Then there are those who are working for Christ in this life and they will receive their rewards based on God’s judgment of their works. So for a Christian this judgment is not at all about our salvation, it is about the rewards we will receive based on our works down here. So for those of you here (or those of you reading this) who are saved but are not doing anything for Christ in your faith walk, you are forfeiting rewards that God has already prepared for you. Although for some people that is enough, to just be able to get into heaven, but I hope for you that is not enough. There is so much to be done and we need your help. Think of your work here and in the other things you do to help others as your eternal IRA. If you do not make any deposits, your return will be low. If you are faithful in making deposits, then you will have a great reward. If you are not currently involved, please consider what you can do. I know you may be nervous or wondering about what you can do, but understand, everyone can do something. Even if you do not have the experience, that is okay, you can still serve.
II. Those Already Working
For those of you already working, I want to say “Thank You!” Without you doing what you do, it would be difficult for me to do what I do. We are in this work together, each of us. Again I thank you and offer these words of encouragement.
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 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. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” Gal. 6:7-9
Verse nine says that we will reap our rewards if we do not give up. I know some of you have been serving in your capacity since you came to this Church and I know you may be tired. I understand and am praying for God to send more workers who can be trusted to take on a responsibility and do it as their service to Him. Working in any type of ministry is not easy because it is volunteer work. You give of your time and service freely. But understand God is taking care of you. You may not be able to see everything clearly now, but He is. Hang in there, do not give up; don’t walk away from your reward.
Conclusion
When I was growing up, my parents would sometimes promise to do something and later forget. I have done that with my kids also. But God does not forget, what He has promised, He will fulfill. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, whatever we sow, that is what we will reap. New Light, I count it a blessing to serve as you Pastor. There are many Churches that you could attend, yet you have chosen to worship here. I do not take my responsibility towards your spiritual growth lightly. Thank you for allowing me to serve as your Pastor and from the bottom of my heart I love each of you.
For those of you on my email list and are reading this, know that I count it a blessing that you choose to allow me into your hearts with God’s word. Some of you I have never met and may never meet, but I feel as if we are connected spiritually. Thank you for allowing New Light to be an extension of your faith journey with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
May God bless and keep us as we enter into our seventh year.
