The word weary in our text means
discouraged, faint hearted, losing heart, losing your grip. Now, because
of this thing called the flesh, it's easy to lose heart. It's easy to be discouraged. If you want to find something
in yourself or in others to be discouraged about, it won't be
hard to find, will it? Discouragement, weariness in well-doing, losing heart, feeling as if there's no point
in giving effort anymore. It's fruitless. That's what it
is to feel weary in well-doing. And let me give you some scriptures
that I hope will be a word in season to him that is weary. When you feel like you're losing
or at least not making any progress at all. Remember this scripture
from 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 verse 14. Now, thanks be unto
God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ. And do you hear what that says?
It says, no matter what the circumstance, no matter what I feel, I'm always
caused to triumph in Christ. Isn't that a blessing? I don't
know how many times, that's all I've had to hold on to, because
it didn't feel like things were that way. I certainly don't feel
like I'm triumphing, but God's word says, I always triumph in
Christ. Turn with me for a moment to
2 Corinthians 4. Verse one. Therefore, seeing
we have this ministry and he's talking about the ministry of
the New Testament, the ministry of the covenant of grace, salvation
in Christ, seeing we have this ministry as we've received mercy,
we faint not. That's the same word translated.
We don't lose heart. We don't become weary. Seeing
we have this ministry, this ministry of the gospel. free grace as
we've received mercy. Oh, thank God for mercy. What
if it was merit? It wouldn't be any hope for any
of us. But seeing we have this ministry as we've received mercy,
we faint not. Look down in verse 16 of this
same chapter. For which cause? We faint not,
we don't become weary, we don't become discouraged. But though
our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by
day. Now let's back up to verse 7 and see what led him to make
that statement that we don't lose heart, we don't faint, we
don't grow weary. He says in verse 7, but we have
this treasure, the gospel. Christ dwelling in
my heart. The forgiveness of sins. Complete justification. Complete sanctification. I mean,
you want to talk about a treasure. The Lord Jesus Christ, what a
treasure. I am thy shield and thy exceeding
great reward. We have this treasure in earthen
vessels, jars of clay, that the excellency of the power may be
of God and not of us. And we're troubled on every side,
yet not distressed. We are perplexed. Can't give
a reason, but not in despair persecuted. but not forsaken,
cast down, but not destroyed, always bearing about in the body
the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might
be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always
delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus
might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh
in us, but life in you. We, having the same spirit of
faith, according as it's written, I believed and therefore have
I spoken, we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that
he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus
and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes
that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many
redound to the glory of God for the which cause. We never lose
heart. though our outward man perish,
yet the inward man is renewed day by day." Turn back to Luke
chapter 18. And He spake a parable unto them
to this end, that men ought always to pray And not to faint, that's
the word, not to grow weary, not to grow discouraged, not
to lose heart. And what a blessed promise this
is. He spake this parable to this
end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint, not to
grow weary, saying, there was in a city a judge, which feared
not God, neither regarded man. And there was a widow in that
city, and she came unto him saying, avenge me of my adversary. And
he would not for a while, but afterwards he said within himself,
though I fear not God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth
me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary
me. And the Lord's given this for
my encouragement. for you're continually come. Don't lose
heart. Don't faint. The Lord's given
us this assurance. Keep asking him. Verse six, and
the Lord said, hear what the unjust judge saith, and shall
not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto
him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will
avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the son of
man cometh, shall he find faith on earth? Turn with me for a
moment to Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12, verse 3. For consider him that endured
such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest you be
wearied and faint in your minds. Let me remind you something,
you've not resisted unto blood striving against sin, and you've
forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children.
My son, despise not thou the chasing of the Lord, nor faint
when thou art rebuked of him, for whom the Lord loveth, he
chasteneth. and scourges every son whom he
receives." Now, I'm not looking for chastening, but I want to
be somebody the Lord loves, don't you? So, don't lose heart. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth,
and he scourges every son he receives. So, don't become discouraged
in the practice of well-doing. Now, it is easy for numerous
reasons to be weary in well-doing, but don't do it. This is a command. Be not weary in well-doing. Now what is meant by well-doing?
Let's go back to Galatians chapter 6 and we'll look at the context
and we'll look at a few other scriptures that deal with this
thing of well-doing. He says in verse 1, Brethren,
if a man be overtaken, in a fault, overcome by some sin. Can you see where that would
happen to you? Do you see how easily that could happen to you? Do you see how it will happen
if God doesn't prevent it? You see that? Now, if a man be
overtaken in a fault, you which are spiritual, restore such a
one. in the spirit of meekness, humility,
considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. If you're tempted
the way that fellow is, what's going to happen? you're gonna
fall like he does. You will, there's no question
about it. You and I have never one time
stood before temptation. That's why we pray, Lord, don't
let me get tempted. I don't wanna be tempted because I know what
happens if I am. So put a hedge about me, deliver me from that.
And that's my attitude toward that brother who has been overtaken. Understand that I will be worse
considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear ye one
another's burdens, put up with one another, and so fulfill the
law of Christ. For if a man thinks himself to
be something, when he's nothing, he deceives himself." Now, don't
become weary in this. But let every man, verse 4, prove
his own work. and then shall have rejoicing
in himself alone and not in another. You can see what the Lord's done
in you. For every man shall bear his own burden. Everyone should
carry his own load is what that's saying. Verse six, let him that's
taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all
good things. This is talking about the support of the ministry.
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."
That's a promise. In due season, in God's season,
in God's time, we shall reap if we don't quit, if we faint
not, if we don't lose heart. Now, you're going to find this
interesting. Where do you think the first
time well-doing is mentioned in Scripture? Does anybody know? The first time it's mentioned.
The first time it's mentioned is in Genesis chapter 4, where
God says to Cain, if you do well, won't you be accepted? And what
this is a reference to is bringing the right sacrifice. Don't be
weary in bringing the right sacrifice. What that means is, every time
I come into God's presence, I come pleading only the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ, nothing else. And I'm not to become weary in
that. Don't let it become old and stale. At all times, come pleading the
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. No other thing to plead. And
if that ever becomes mechanical, If it ever becomes formal, you
just do it because you know it's the right thing to do and it
doesn't come from the heart. We've grown weary in well-doing. What I thought about in growing
weary in well-doing, I thought about the children of Israel
with the manna. Can you imagine how amazed they were when that
manna came down from heaven and they gathered that up and they
ate angel's food? And it was good. It tasted like
wafers and honey and it was good. But over time, They said, we
don't have anything to eat. When the man had come down, we
don't have anything to eat. And as far as this manna goes,
our souls loathe this light bread, this insubstantial bread. Oh, it's so sad when grace is
a doctrine instead of amazing grace. How sweet the sound that
saved a wretch like me. Don't grow weary in coming pleading
only the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn with me to Matthew
25. Here we read some about well-doing. Beginning in verse 14. For the kingdom of heaven is
as a man traveling into a far country who called his own servants
and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents,
to another two, and to another one, to every man according to
his several ability, and straightway took his journey. Then he that
had received the five talents went and traded with the same
and made them other five talents. Likewise, he that received two,
he also gained other two. But he that had received one
went and digged in the earth and hid his Lord's money. After
a long time, the Lord of those servants cometh and reckoneth
with them. And so he that had received five
towns came and brought other five towns, saying, Lord, thou
deliverest them to be five towns. Behold, I've gained beside them
five towns more. His Lord said unto him, well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over
a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy
Lord. And he also that had received
two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliverest unto me two talents.
Behold, I've gained two other talents besides them. His Lord
said unto him, well done, good. and faithful servant, thou hast
been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord, well done." Now, what I want to hear, this is
what I want to hear more than anything else. As a matter of
fact, I believe it would be worth a life of misery just to hear
him say to me, well done. Thou good and faithful servant."
That's what I want to hear more than any... I want to hear that
because I love my Lord. I want Him to be pleased with
me. And I want to hear Him say to me, well done. Now here's
a blessed thing to think about. Number one, if Christ hears well
done, which you know He will, I will too. Because His life
is my life before God. His righteousness is my righteousness
before God. His well-doing is my well-doing
before God. And if He did well, I did too
because I'm united to Him. And I'm going to hear Him say
to me, well done, thou good and faithful servant. In this passage
of scripture, it's not really talking about that only though.
He's talking about that servant trading, the one with five and
gaining five more, and two and gaining two more. And he said
to him through their trading, well done thou good and faithful
servant. Now, the point is, God gives us the grace to gain. It's all his work. And yet, He
rewards us as if we did it when we know it was Him. If you do
well, don't you know it's only the grace of God that enabled
you to do well? And you know it's Him in you and you really
believe that. And yet, He says to you, well
done. And you know, like I was talking
last Sunday night, The Lord sees perfection in what a believer
does. We don't see it, but He does. Remember Sarah. Sarah, the Lord, she hears the
Lord telling Abraham, you're going to have a son. And she
laughs, incredulous. She doesn't believe. She said,
how could that be? How can I have pleasure, me being
old and after the manner of women and my Lord being old also? How could it happen? And she
laughed. And then the Lord said, why did
Sarah laugh? And she said, she lied right
to the Lord and said, I didn't laugh. And yet when the New Testament
speaks of her, It says, by faith, Sarah received strength to conceive
seed and was heard. Now, what the Lord says about
us and what we say about ourselves, two totally different things.
And there's some people who are going to hear every believer.
You don't think you've done well. You really don't. As a matter
of fact, you're disgusted with yourself. But you're going to
hear the Lord say, well done. Don't we serve a gracious master?
Now, let's go on reading in verse 24. Then he which had received the
one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee, that thou art an
hard man. Now, this fellow shows what he
thinks about his Lord. You're an austere, harsh man. reaping where thou hast not sown,
and gathering where thou hast not strawed. And I was afraid,
and I went and hid thy talent in the earth. Lo, here thou hast
that is thine." I knew you were sovereign and I couldn't do anything,
so I just hid it and here we are. His Lord answered and said
unto him, thou wicked, and slothful servant. He's going to come to
him on the ground he came. Thou knewest that I reap why
I sowed not, and gathered why I have not strewn. Thou therefore
oughtest to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at
my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore
the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall
have abundance But from him that hath not shall be taken away
even that which he hath, and you cast that unprofitable servant
into outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth." No well-doing proved that man to not be real, didn't
it? Turn with me for a moment to
2 Thessalonians chapter 3. Well-doing. Somebody says, what
is well-doing? Well, it's doing anything for
the sake of Christ. Anything for His sake. I think that's
the best definition of well-doing. You do something for Christ's
sake. Not to earn a reward, not to be saved, not because you're
afraid of what will happen if you don't, but you do it for
Christ's sake. You do it because you love Him.
You do it because you want to honor Him. You want to be a good
husband, for Christ's sake, to honor Him. You want to be a good
wife, for Christ's sake. You want to be a good parent,
for Christ's sake. You want to be a good employee,
for Christ's sake. You want to honor Him in all
things. That's what it is to do good.
You want to honor Him. You love Him, you're grateful
to Him, and you want to honor Him. You want to do good. You want to be involved in well-doing,
whatever all that means. Now, look here in 2 Thessalonians
3. Verse 13. But ye, brethren, here is the
admonition again, be not weary in well-doing. Now, what was
he talking about? Verse 6. Now, we command you, brethren,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves
from every brother that walketh disorderly." In a way contrary
to the gospel and not after the tradition which you've received
of us. For yourselves know how you ought to follow us. Paul
said, follow me as I follow Christ. For we behave not ourselves disorderly
among you. And he's talking about irresponsibility
here. Neither did we eat any man's bread for naught, but we
wrought with labor and travail, night and day, that we might
not be chargeable to any of you. Not because we had not power,
but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us. For even
when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if you would
not, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we
hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, walking
not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command
and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they
work and eat their own bread. But ye, brethren, be not weary
in well-doing." Turn to the book of James. James says in verse 8, if you fulfill the royal law
according to the Scripture, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,
you do well. Now, I've not fulfilled that royal
law, but the Lord Jesus Christ did. But you know what I want? I want to love my brother. I want to love my brother. You
know, love to the brethren, this is the commandment of Christ.
He said, this is my commandment, that you love one another as
I have loved you. Love to my brethren is the evidence
of salvation. By this shall all men know you're
my disciples, by your love one to another. Love is the fruit
of the indwelling Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love. Love is the crowning grace. Now
abideth faith, hope, charity, these three, but the greatest
of these is charity. Love is the evidence of His love
to us. We love Him because, why? He
first loved us and love is as love does. So I want to be filled
in well-doing in this. Turn with me in 2 Peter chapter
1. I've just looked where the Bible
speaks of well-doing. I like this one. I like them
all. 2 Peter chapter 1. Beginning in
verse 16, For we have not followed cunningly
devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His
majesty. For He received from God the
Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to Him
from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased. And this voice which came from
heaven, we heard when we were with him in the Holy Mount, we
also have a more sure word of prophecy, wherein to you do well. There it is. You do well that
you take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place
into the day's dawn and the day star arise in your hearts. Now
here's what well-doing is. Well-doing is believing what
God says. It's taking heed to what He says.
It's receiving what He says. It's taking it in. You do well to take heed to what
God says. Believe what He says. Believe
the gospel. Now, let's go back to our text now. I know I'm going
to a lot of Scriptures, but we're going to wind this thing up now. He says in Galatians chapter
6, verse 9, And let us, me and you, let us
not be weary in well-doing, in believing the gospel, believing
the scriptures, in love, in good works, in everything associated
with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us not be weary in
well-doing for, here's the promise, in due season, At God's time,
we shall reap if we faint not, if we don't, and that word faint
not is the same word be weary, if we don't faint. Now, the fact
that we reap tells us that there's some sowing we're to do. You
know, he said, you reap what you sow. And you know, in this
thing of following the Lord Jesus Christ, I want to say this right. All I get is sheer grace. Everything He gives is a gracious
boon. I don't reap what I sow in that
sense. I reap what He gives me. Grace. You know that. Pure grace. That's true. And you can't look
at that apart from this. And that being said, you're going
to get out of it what you personally put into it. That's so. He that soweth sparingly
shall reap also sparingly. And he that soweth bountifully
shall also reap bountifully. You reap what you sow. Now let me show you this in the
scripture. Turn to Luke chapter 6. Here's a glorious chapter on sowing
and reaping. Beginning in verse 27, But I say unto you which hear,
Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them
that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you,
And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also
the other. And him that taketh away thy
cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man
that asketh of thee, and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask
them not again. And as you would, that men should
do to you. do ye also to them likewise.
For if you love them which love you, what thank have you for
sinners? Also love those that love them. And if you do good
to them which do good to you, what thank have you for sinners?
Also do even the same. And if you lend to them of whom
you hope to receive, what thank have you for sinners? Also lend
to sinners to receive as much again, but love your enemies
and do good. and lend, hoping for nothing
again. And your reward shall be great, and you shall be children
of the highest, for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the
evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as
your Father also is merciful." Now, here's some sowing and reaping.
Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, You shall
not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. Give, and it shall be given unto
you good measure, pressed down and shaken together, and running
over shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure
that you meet, with all it shall be measured to you again. Now, you sow. And in due season, in the Lord's
time, you shall reap the Lord Jesus Christ is never served
in vain. Never. You know, if I give myself
to the ministry in faithfulness, he'll bless it. And if I don't,
he won't. But if I do, he will bless it. If I give myself to being his
servant in whatever way he opens up, he will bless it in due time
upon this condition that I don't quit. Be not weary in well-doing. Be not weary in bringing the
right sacrifice. That's the first time it's mentioned.
You come only in the name of Christ. Don't ever become weary
of that. Be not weary in giving yourself to well-doing. Don't be discouraged. You look
inside, you'll be discouraged, I guarantee you. You look within
yourself. I got something up in my closet,
and it's one of those things where it's, what's it, how's
it say, Lynn, do you remember? Look to yourself, and you'll
be depressed, look to others, you'll
be discouraged, look to Him and you'll always be encouraged.
It's something like that, but it's very true. Be not weary
in well-doing. This is God's word to us. For in due season we shall reap
if we faint not. What a glorious master we serve.
Let's pray together.