Galatians chapter six, and I'd
like to read from verse six. Let him that is taught in the
word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Be not deceived, God is not mocked,
for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 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. And let us not be weary in well-doing,
for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. As we have therefore
opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them
who are of the household of faith. Amen. May the Lord bless this
short reading from his word. I mentioned last time when we
were speaking together from these passages in Galatians that the
Apostle is ending his epistle with some practical direction
concerning the mutual support and care that we have for fellow
believers. He's spoken of bearing one another's
burdens, and here he continues by making mention of support
for Bible teachers and gospel preachers. And it is a scripture
principle that men sent by the Lord to minister the gospel are
to be materially enabled and supported in that task according
to the ability and generosity of those who are blessed with
a hearing. And Paul told the Corinthians
after the same theme, principle, do ye not know that they which
minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? And that's a throwback to the
Old Testament where the priests were provided for out of the
sacrifices of the people who came to worship God at the altar
and in the temple. Do ye not know that they which
minister about holy things live of the things of the temple?
And they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar. Paul goes on to say, even so
hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should
live of the gospel. And that's in First Corinthians
chapter nine, verses 13 and 14. So it is a blessing, a blessing
that the Lord has granted to all believers to be able to lay a hand to the
plough in this way, in support of the ministry of God's word
and the extension of the kingdom of God. And so too, we can take
that from the other side and we say that it is an obligation
that rests on all true preachers to be labouring in the word,
to be diligent and to be industrious and to be dedicated to their
task of preaching the gospel and ministering in all good things
to the flock over which God has made them overseers to feed the
church of God. And the reference, I think, to
God not being mocked no doubt relates to what the apostle has
been saying about bearing one another's burdens and supporting
the gospel ministry because it is possible for us to withhold
help and support from our brethren upon the grounds of inability
or lack of opportunity and it's not hard for a man to deceive
another man or indeed to deceive himself with reasons as to why
he can't help. However, God cannot be deceived
and God will not be mocked and prosperity in this life comes
with obligation. And God's good gifts are not
given for our personal or even for our family good. Lord says
himself, to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required. And I believe that every gospel
preacher must take this seriously as well, in view of their preaching
gifts. The gifts that we have been given
whether that's the gift of time, the gift of ability, the gift
of intellect, the gift of finance, and the wherewithal to enable
and support and help one another. And the gifts of a preacher must
all be recognised as to be used for the glory of God. And preachers
must take seriously these matters as well in their preaching gift.
It's surely one of the highest privileges in this world to be
called into the Lord's service to preach the gospel to the souls
of men and women. but that too comes with responsibility. And Paul tells Timothy, study
to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not
to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. So here is
the balance then that is taking place. that the preacher labours
in the Word to bring forth things old and things new out of the
storehouse of God's provision in the Gospel. And those who
hear and are benefited from that hearing are grateful to support
and encourage and maintain that ministry, both for the good that
it does their own souls and for the good that it does to others
for the extension of the work of the gospel. And preaching
is an onerous and a weighty occupation. but it would be a terrible indictment
on any preacher where it's said of him with any truthfulness
that he wasted his time and he did not fully put his shoulder
to the task of the ministry in the service of Christ. So whether
it's in preaching or in some other capacity that the Lord
has gifted us with good provision, may the Lord grant us ability
and opportunity and integrity in our service. For the Saviour that has done
so much for us, may the Lord enable us to be worthy stewards
of the good gifts that he has granted to us. This passage distinguishes
between those who are spiritual and those who are merely carnal. And it is in this context, I
think, that we best understand what the Apostle is saying here. It's a strong reminder from Paul
about the Lord's teaching on the Sermon of the Mount where
he says of men and women, by their fruits ye shall know them. That is, by the evidences revealed
of grace or no grace in their lives. And Paul employs a slightly
different metaphor when he speaks of sowing, but it's to the same
end. We should not expect spiritual
good to flow from carnal activity, nor for fleshy preoccupations
to yield wholesome outcomes. There's a lot of consequence
in this world. If you sow wheat, you won't reap
barley. And if you sow to your flesh,
then you will of the flesh reap corruption. And I think all of
us here are sufficiently enough informed to realise that the
apostle is not advocating work salvation in these verses. He's spent the whole letter to
the Galatians so far preaching grace and preaching that righteousness
is God's gift, it comes by promise and it's nothing to do with words.
So thereby he opposes any suggestion of working for spiritual blessings
or that spiritual blessings will come to us as a result of our
effort and our labours. In that sense, we understand
that given that all men and women are fallen, carnal, fleshy creatures,
what Paul is reminding us here is that the wages of sin is death
and that there's no power in human nature, no ability in our
nature within ourselves to convert or transform our condition because
we are sinful, guilty creatures before a holy God. All those
who preach that a man can by his own free will choose to be
something different to what he really is have no real appreciation
of what he really is. By nature we spend our whole
lives sowing to our flesh and consequently we shall of the
flesh reap corruption. Sowing to the spirit is possible
only where there's been a spiritual work of grace and a divine activity
upon the soul to bring forth a new creation. And the initiative
in spiritual matters never lies with man, but always with God. Man is spiritually dead in sin.
Nevertheless, where the Spirit of God changes a man's heart
and quickens their spirit, there will be a hunger and a thirst
after righteousness. There will be a weariness of
sin and corruption. There will be a desire for soul
food and spiritual refreshment. and that will not be satisfied
by the vain pastimes or the distractions that this world offers. The Holy
Spirit creates an appetite in the child of God for eternal
truth and for heavenly wisdom so that communing with the Lord
and feeding on his word and hearing the gospel preached becomes a
spiritual delight to the renewed heart, to the man and the woman
born again, born from above. And the things that once held
us captive, captivate us no more. In sowing to the Spirit, we shall
have the Spirit give us life everlasting. And that is the
sense in which the apostle here is directing our thoughts. Perhaps
the best way to close this little section that we've been reading
from here is just with the reminder that all that is good within
us comes from Christ. In this fallen, corrupt world
in which dwell men and women in whom there is no good thing,
Everything good, everything just and holy must come from the Lord
Jesus Christ. We acknowledge that as believers
that there is no good thing in us. The Apostle Paul said it,
we echo and re-echo that sentiment. Therefore, everything good that
is in us and everything good that is in this world must come
from Christ. And so the apostle says, let
us not be weary in well-doing. Now if all good things come from
Christ and we are not to be weary in them, whether we think of
that well-doing as good works of charity, burden-bearing mutual
support for one another, for our brothers and sisters in the
Lord, or whether we think about it in that pursuit of spiritual
understanding and meditation and prayer and spiritual growth. I think those two things really
come together because it amounts to the same thing. One does not
exist without the other. And that's the point that Paul
is making here. It's the teaching that James
gives us as well, that once that spiritual work has been done,
there will be the evidence, there will be the fruit that will follow. and that even a believer's good
works come from God as his gift to us for us to do, he having
foreordained them that we should walk in them. So that we must
humbly lay all our service, all our ministry, all our good works,
if you like, at Christ's feet because ultimately everything
comes from him. And believers in that sense also
do not serve for gain. We serve in thanksgiving. We do not give to get, but to
repay for the good that the Lord has done to us. And in bestowing
to others, we are merely returning to the Lord from out of the plentiful
good things that he has given to us, and especially what he
has done for us. so that believers are eager to
find occasion and opportunity to help one another and to support
the gospel. It isn't law, it's not duty that
motivates our service, but grace and gratitude. And being not
weary suggests that we may not see the fruit for our labour,
the labour that we expend. but that is no deterrent to pressing
on in our good work. All we are enabled to do is a
work done as unto the Lord, and it is for him to make of it what
he will. Solomon said, cast thy bread
upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days. And this little reference here
to weariness, and with this we'll wrap it up, but this little reference
here to weariness, that we are not to be weary in well-doing. Weariness can afflict a believer
in so many ways and for so many reasons. There's the weariness
of old age. There's a weariness that comes
because of pain. There's a weariness that comes
because of illness. a weariness out of loneliness,
a weariness because of temptation and of sin, and any number of
other trials of this flesh. But let us not be weary in serving
the Lord, because whatever portion we have been given in this life,
whatever this life is to us, it is at the wise instigation
of the Lord. It is for our good and it is
for his glory. and we are, in the end, merely
unprofitable servants. So let me just close by repeating
this little hymn, this little hymn from Samuel Medley. I think
the thoughts are lovely, but it comes to me often when I consider
some of the challenges that I face and my brothers and sisters face
in the weariness of this world. Here's what Medley says. God
shall alone the refuge be, and comfort of my mind. Too wise
to be mistaken, he, too good to be unkind. In all his holy,
sovereign will, he is I daily find. Too wise to be mistaken,
still, too good to be unkind. When I the tempter's rage endure,
Tis God supports my mind. Too wise to be mistaken, sure,
Too good to be unkind. When so reflections on me lie,
He is, though I am blind, Too wise to be mistaken, yea, Too
good to be unkind. And though I can't his goings
see, Nor all his footsteps find, Too wise to be mistaken he, Too
good to be unkind. Hereafter he will make me know,
And I shall surely find He was too wise to err, And oh, too
good to be unkind. Amen.