Welcome to Reign of Grace. This
program is brought to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries,
an outreach ministry of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany,
Georgia. It is our pleasure and privilege
to present to you the gospel message of the sovereign grace
and glory of God in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that today's program
will be a blessing to you. Thank you for listening and now
for today's program. I'm glad you could join us for
this message. And if you'd like to follow along
in your Bibles in this message, I'll be preaching from Galatians
chapter 6. Galatians chapter 6. And I'm
going to be talking about the law of sowing and reaping. That's Galatians chapter 6. This
passage of scripture where Verse seven, for example, this is my
main text, where Paul the Apostle, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
writes, be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever
a man soweth, that shall he also reap. In verse eight, 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. Now that's the law of sowing
and reaping. So many times people take verses of scripture out
of context and do what the Apostle Peter said that many do, they
rest, that's W-R-E-S-T, or twist the scriptures to their own destruction. And obviously that's not a good
thing, I mean, destruction, but you know people, You know, the
Bible originally was not written in chapters and verses. You know,
when the churches of Galatia received this epistle or this
letter from Paul, it was just one letter like you would get
a letter. I'm glad and thankful that the Bible is divided off
into chapters and verses because it makes things easier to find.
That's how I can tell you to turn to Galatians 6 and begin
there at verse 7. But you can't get bogged down
in that and think, well, now I can jerk this one verse out
or one statement out and derive some bad doctrine out of it,
or even, as some do, start a whole denomination. There's a denomination
that believes you have to be baptized in order to be saved,
and they take maybe one or two verses out of their context to
try to prove that. And in doing so, they deny a
multitude of other scriptures that claim that salvation is
totally by grace, not by baptism. Water baptism is a confession
of something that's already taken place by the grace of God. Well,
this passage here, about sowing and reaping is one that is sometimes
misused and abused. A lot of people say, well, what
you sow, so you reap, so shall you reap. And they do it within
a context of what they imply, whether they mean to or not,
as if this is teaching some way salvation at some stage, in some
way, to some degree, by the works of men. In other words, you sow
it and you earn it by reaping it back, whatever it is. If you
sow sin, you'll earn destruction. If you sow works, you'll earn
salvation. But that's not what this is teaching.
So let me give you the context of it. We'll go back to verse
one of chapter six and what Paul is talking about here. First
of all, he's dealing with believers. He's not dealing with lost people
here, but I'll make an application that fits this word here. He's talking to believers and
their relationship with one another within the family of God. Now,
a believer is a sinner saved by grace. A believer is one who
was chosen of God. If we look at the whole context
of the Bible, a believer is one who was chosen by God before
the foundation of the world, given to Christ Jesus, The Bible
talks about in 2 Timothy chapter 1, for example, that salvation
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. So a
believer is one who is God's elect. People talk about God's
elect. How do I know if I'm one of God's
chosen people, one of God's elect? Well, do I believe? Now, it's
not just believing, it's believing a specific message, the gospel.
wherein the person of Christ is revealed as God in human flesh,
he's God-man, and his finished work of redemption that equals
righteousness, through his death, burial, and resurrection, that
equals righteousness, that secures and demands the salvation of
all for whom he died. You see, a believer is one who
is chosen of God, but when Adam fell, we were all ruined by the
fall. We fell into sin and death. And
therefore, Christ had to come and redeem His people from their
sins by the redemption price of His blood. You see, the death
of Christ, the blood of Christ, the cross of Christ is the redemption
price that he paid for his sheep, God's elect. And in time, the
Holy Spirit applies, imparts spiritual life, raising them
from the dead. The new birth, you must be born
again. And he brings them under the preaching of the gospel,
gives them life, and brings them to faith in Christ and repentance
of dead works. He sheds abroad within the new
heart that he gives them the love of Christ And so that's
what a believer is. But a believer is one who has
been washed in the blood of Christ, we can say. What can wash away
my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
And he's one who stands before God. He or she stands before
God. without being charged with sin.
Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God
that justifies. Who can condemn us? It's Christ
that died. He stands, he or she stands before
God in Christ's righteousness imputed, charged, accounted to
Him. So that the whole ground of their
salvation, the whole basis of their salvation is the righteousness
of another, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, a believer is also a person
who is at war with himself. Paul talked about that over in
Galatians 5, in verse 17. He says, for the flesh, that's
sin within us. That's what that is. evil thoughts,
evil desires, evil motives, lack of perfection in our obedience. The flesh lusteth against the
Spirit, the Holy Spirit who resides within each believer. And the Spirit against the flesh.
We're in a warfare. Paul described it in Romans chapter
7 verses 14 through 15. And it's a daily warfare. It's
a continual warfare. This warfare is already won by
Jesus Christ by His work on the cross, where He died, was buried,
and rose from the dead. Righteousness is imputed to us.
We stand righteous in Christ. But we're not righteous in ourselves. We have a new heart, a new mind,
a new spirit, but we still have the flesh that contaminates everything
that we do. And that's why we have to struggle,
and it never lets up. So where's the victory? Well,
the victory is in looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith. The victory comes from that warfare,
which we look at Christ as being the victor. Paul concluded Romans
7 with this. He said, O wretched man that
I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? And then
he said, I thank God through Jesus Christ my Lord. And then
in Romans 8, 1, he said, there's therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit. Well, in the life of a believer,
there'll be times where he, in his own life, his character and
his conduct, he'll do better. He'll be more obedient, more
dedicated, even more assured. And then there'll be times when
he just stumbles and trips and falls, whatever. Now, when he
does better, when a believer does better, does that make him
more saved? Or holier? Or more righteous?
Absolutely not. When he stumbles and falls, does
that make him less saved? Less righteous before God? Absolutely
not. That's not the issue. Sometimes
believers fall and they bring public scandal on the gospel.
Think about King David when he committed adultery with a woman
named Bathsheba. And how far, how much scandal,
you know, the prophet Nathan told him, he said, he said, your
sins are forgiven, but you've brought, you've given the enemies
of God occasion to blaspheme. And you know what that kind of
blaspheme, blasphemy is. It's when people say, well, you're
not a Christian or, you know, whatever. And somebody says,
well, then you just believe that Christians can act any way they
want to. No, a Christian's in a struggle against sin. But he may be overtaken. And
that's what Paul says here in Galatians 6, one, look at it.
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault. Now we're always
sinners saved by the grace of God if we're saved. But this
is talking about one who is overtaken, overwhelmed in a fault. He says, you which are spiritual,
Now he's talking about those who are believers. Restore such
a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou
also be tempted. You know, you hear the old saying
all the time, there but for the grace of God go I. Do you really
believe that? If you really believe that, you
will not pronounce judgment against any person simply because they're
a sinner. Now let me explain that. You know, the Bible says in Matthew
7 verse 1, judge not that you be not judged. What does that
mean? Does that forbid all judgment?
No, not at all. In fact, in the very same chapter,
he tells the people of God to beware of false prophets. How
are you gonna beware of someone if you can't make a judgment
about them? What he's forbidding in Matthew
7 and verse 1 is self-righteous judgment based on a wrong standard,
a self-righteous standard. I may look at a person, I'd say,
well, that person's a sinner, so I know they can't be a Christian.
The problem with that is this, I'm a sinner too. You say, well,
you may not be as big a sinner as this. That's not the issue
now. You see, we're all sinners. You remember in the book of Luke
chapter 13, I believe it is, where Christ talking to the self-righteous
unbelieving Jews, and he talked about a group of people who were
going to sacrifice and Pontius Pilate sent a Roman legion to
slaughter them. And then he talked about a tower. Now that's the enemy of men going
after men, man's inhumanity to man. And then he spoke of a tower
in Siloam that fell upon people and killed them. That's natural
disasters. And he asked him this question.
He said, do you suppose that the reason those things happen
to those people is that they were greater sinners than you? Well, the natural man says, yes.
Christ said, no. He said, except you repent, you
shall likewise perish. Here's what I'm saying, folks.
We need to understand this. And that's this, no matter who
we are or how good we try to be, According to God's standard
of holiness and justice and righteousness, if God were to ever give us what
we deserve or what we earn, it would be eternal damnation. Do
you believe that? I tell you what, if you don't,
you need to repent or you'll likewise perish. You look at
a person and he's a great sinner. And I tell you, there's nothing
wrong with simply saying that person is a great sinner, but
I'm a great sinner too. So that's what he's saying there.
Considering thyself, lest thou be tempted. Listen, we are capable
of anything but for the grace and the mercy and the restraining
hand of God. So he says in verse two, bear
ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.
What he's talking about is love. In other words, we're to strive
to love one another. Now that doesn't mean we excuse
one another. That doesn't mean we don't want
the state or the law, the powers that be, the civil authorities
to exact justice, because that's a command of God too. But he
says this, here's what he's talking about. Verse three, if a man
think himself to be something when he's nothing, he deceiveth
himself. What are we? As far as a relationship
with God is concerned, based on our works, you know what we
are? We're nothing. A big, fat zero. And if I think
I'm any more than nothing, I'm deceiving myself. Verse four,
but let every man prove his own work and then shall he have rejoicing
in himself alone and not in another. In other words, what he's talking
about is that people, it's kind of like a man said one time,
he said, well, he said, I know I'm not perfect, but I'm not
as bad as some people. And that was his hope. That's
what he rejoiced in. He said, oh no, you know who
you have to compare yourself to according to the Bible? when it comes to salvation and
a right relationship with God. Compare yourself to Christ. God
says in Acts 17, 31, he said, God has, God said this through
Paul. He said, he has appointed a day
in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that
man whom he hath ordained and that he hath given assurance
unto all men and that he hath raised him from the dead. Somebody
says, well, I just love everybody. Is your love equal to Christ's
love? No. Well, if it's not, then I
beg you, do not stand before God and plead your love. You
see that? You need salvation by grace.
So he says in verse five, for every man shall bear his own
burden. He says, let him that is taught in the word communicate
or share unto him that teacheth in all good things. That's an
exhortation from Paul that the ministry should be supported
with gifts. So he says in verse seven, now,
be not deceived, God is not mocked. You see, in this thing of relationships,
in this thing of judging one another, God's not mocked. What is God's judgment? You know,
Christ told his disciples to judge righteous judgment. I'll
give you an example of it. In 1 Corinthians 1, verse 18,
he speaks of the preaching of the cross. All right? What is the preaching of the
cross? Well, that's the person and work of Christ, shedding
of his blood, his death, burial, and resurrection, which equals
the righteousness that ensures and demands the salvation of
his people. Christ finished the work. Christ satisfied justice.
Christ brought in righteousness and all for whom he died shall
be saved. Well, the preaching of the gospel,
the cross, is foolishness to them that are perishing. Are you saved or lost? Well,
how do you respond to the preaching of God's grace in Christ, the
preaching of the cross? Is it just make you savable if
you'll do your part? Well, that's not the preaching
of the cross, that's a false gospel. But he says, but to them
that are saved or are being saved, it is the power, it's the wisdom
of God. He that believeth not shall be
damned. I know this about you. And this is righteous judgment
because it's based on God's word. If you don't know Christ, as
he's identified and distinguished in this book, the Bible. If you
don't know Christ in his person and in his finished work, in
his righteousness, which is imputed to his people that brings them
life from the dead, if you don't know Christ, you're lost. You're
a lost person. What I want to do is show you
the way. It's the way of God's grace. So be not deceived. God is not mocked. He says, for
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. What's he
talking about? He's not talking about salvation
by works. He's not talking about rewards
in heaven here. That's not in the Bible. He's
simply saying this. Verse eight, for he that soweth
to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. that he that
soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And then he says in verse nine,
let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap
if we faint not. Verse 10, as we have therefore
opportunity, let us do good unto all, all men, especially unto
them who are of the household of faith. Now what is this thing
about sowing and reaping? Sowing to the flesh. Well, let
me give you some examples. Over in Galatians chapter five,
he talks about it, sowing to the Spirit. Look back at verse
17 of Galatians five. He says, the flesh lusteth against
the Spirit, that's the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the agent,
the sovereign agent, God the Holy Spirit, who gives life to
spiritually dead people from Christ. In other words, that
life comes from Christ. Christ is our life. His righteousness
demands spiritual life. And the Holy Spirit, the third
person of the Trinity, gives life in the new birth. You must
be born of the Spirit, born from above. Remember Christ in John
chapter 3, He said, that which is born of the flesh is flesh.
It's not going to be any more than flesh. You can't improve
the flesh. You see, you can't change it
into something other than what it is. And that in man is sinful
flesh. And he's not just talking about
our physical makeup, that's part of it. But he said that which
is born of the spirit is spirit. So verse 17, for the flesh lusted
against the spirit, the spirit against the flesh, that's the
warfare. The Holy Spirit indwelling the born again person. And these
are contrary the one to the other so that you cannot do the things
that you would. You can't go the full swing of
the flesh, which would be unto destruction because you're a
sinner saved by grace, but you cannot go the full swing of the
Spirit's motivation to be perfectly conformed to Christ. But if you
be led of the Spirit, you're not under the law. Verse 18. What is it to be led of the Spirit?
The Spirit leads sinners to trust Christ for all salvation. The Holy Spirit motivates sinners
to obey Christ, not in order to be saved, not in trying to
establish their own righteousness before God in order to be saved,
or not in order to earn God's favor, but the Spirit leads sinners,
saved by grace, to obey Christ, to fight the flesh, to cultivate
the works of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit rather, to
do that as motivated by love and grace and gratitude to God. You see, my obedience is not
my salvation. Christ is my salvation. My obedience
is the fruit of the vine. My obedience simply evidences
my love for God and my faith in Christ. And so he talks about
the works of the flesh. He talks about the fruit of the
spirit. But let me give you one more thing. Look over at the
book of Philippians chapter three. And here's what I'm saying. Let
me put it to you this way and then I'll read this passage here.
If you're a person, who's seeking to do good, which
you should seek to do good. I should seek to do good and
not evil. We should seek to love our neighbors,
ourselves. We should seek to love God perfectly. We should seek to do good, to
share, to communicate, to be good to everybody. But if you're
doing that in order to attain or maintain salvation, or in
order to establish your own righteousness before God, you know what you're
doing? You're sowing to the flesh. Now, You say, well, wait a minute,
I'm not a criminal, I'm not immoral. Well, certainly people who are
criminals, people who are immoral, materialistic, certainly they're
sowing to the flesh. Anybody who spends their life
and their time trying to get gain, like the rich man in Luke
chapter 12, he got all of his barns full and he said, what
am I gonna do now? I'm gonna build bigger barns.
fill it up, you know. Thou fool, this night thy soul
shall be required. Certainly somebody like that
is so into the flesh and they're going to reap destruction. But
here's what I'm saying, the most religious person, the most moral
person, who's doing those things in order to earn salvation or
deserve it, They're sowing to the flesh too. Look at the Apostle
Paul in Philippians chapter three. He says in verse three, for we
are the circumcision, that's born again, circumcision of the
heart, which worship God in the spirit and rejoice or have confidence
in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. Verse four, though
I might also have confidence in the flesh, if any other man
thinketh that he hath whereof, he might trust in the flesh I
more. Now listen to the list that Paul gives here about the
flesh. Verse five, circumcised the eighth day, of the stock
of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and Hebrew of Hebrews, as touching
the law of Pharisee. Verse six, concerning zeal, persecuting
the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless.
Now none of those things can be categorized as immorality
as men see it. Saul of Tarsus was a religious,
sincere, dedicated person. But it was all sown to the flesh. And he says in verse seven, now,
Paul wrote back in Galatians chapter six, he said, but if
you sow to the spirit, remember that, he that soweth to the flesh,
shall the flesh reap corruption? For he that sowed to the Spirit
shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. What is it to sow
to the Spirit? Well, look at verse seven. of
Philippians 3, But what things were gained to me, those I counted
lost for Christ, yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss,
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for
whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them
but done, that I may win or gain Christ, and be found in him. not having mine own righteousness
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. He says in
verse 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection,
that's righteousness established, imputed to me, which gives me
a right standing before God, and the life that comes by him
and from him through the Holy Spirit, the power of his resurrection,
the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his
death. And so that's sowing to the Spirit. And so the obedience of a believer,
the love, the sharing, all of that, the caring of a believer,
the dedication, the sincerity, the worship is all the fruit
of grace. To sow to the Spirit is to sow
by grace. Salvation by grace. I'm not earning
my salvation and I don't deserve it. If God were to give me what
I've earned or deserve right now, it would be eternal death
and damnation. Sow to the Spirit. Believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ and rest in Him. I hope you'll join us
next week for another message from God's Word. We are glad you could join us
for another edition of Reign of Grace. This program is brought
to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries, an outreach ministry
of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany, Georgia. To receive
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today and may the Lord be with you.