The other day, we were having lunch with my wife’s dad for his birthday. He is a farmer. He is a simple man who likes to work hard, stick’s to himself, likes a good laugh, and enjoys a good conversation. We were talking about politics and church related topics, namely, about the state of the church and the pulpit. And he made a comment, he said, ‘there are many people who think they are Christian and aren’t, including Pastor’s.’ That was a profound statement to me, and the more I thought about it, the more I reasoned how much it goes along with where we are heading this morning.
As you know, we have been looking at Galatians, and soon we will closing our study of it. We studied Paul’s defense of the gospel and his apostolic ministry in Galatians chapters 1&2. We studied at length why salvation is based on faith alone in Christ alone and not works in Galatians 2-4. And now, as we begin to draw to an end of Galatians Paul has been teaching us how the gospel of Jesus leads to true freedom and godly living, beginning with chapter 5.
In this blog we are going to look at Galatians 6:7&8, and if I could summarize these two verses in any way it would be like this: If we plant righteousness, we glorify God and will reap the blessings of eternal life; but if we plant sin, we mock God and reap destruction. One day, when Jesus returns, there will be a reaping according to our faith in Him and how we sow in the freedom we have from the law.
Charles Spurgeon once said, “If you be a Christian, be a Christian, and be a marked and distinct one.” That is what I want to do this in this blog. My aim is to encourage you to be a Christian, if that is what you claim to be. My aim this morning is to encourage you to use the freedom you have from the law to sow into the Spirit. I want to discourage you from sowing into your sin nature. Because, as a farmer harvests what he or she plants, so you will harvest what you sow.
Point 1: We begin this morning with Paul giving an urgent word of caution to the believers in the region of Galatia.
This is how this sermon needs to be received: as an urged word of caution to every person who makes the claim of Christian. Paul writes in Gal. 6:7, “Do not be deceived”. Paul begins with a warning for the believers in Galatia to be careful they are not somehow betrayed. He warns them from being baited, duped, hoodwinked, bamboozled. He is saying to them, ‘Don’t be fooled or conned or snared or lured in by something or someone who is not true. Don’t be led astray. What is Paul warning about? Do not be deceived about what?
Point 2: Paul is telling the Galatians to be careful they are not deceived into mocking God.
Galatians 6:7 states, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked…” Paul is saying to the Galatians, ‘be careful you Galatians, that you are not deceived, duped, fooled, conned, baited, snared or lured into mocking God.
What does Paul mean when he says ‘God is not mocked’? He means that God will not allow himself to be ridiculed. God will not allow himself to be treated with contempt. God will not allow his Word, his precepts, his rules, or His commands to be laid aside and disobeyed, especially by those who claim to believe in Him. How is God mocked? How is God ridiculed? How is God treated with contempt?
Point 3: God is mocked by what we sow.
Galatians 6:7 states, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” You all have heard the saying, ‘You reap what you sow’. But did you know that statement is derived from Scripture? It’s a natural law that whatever you sow, you shall reap. In other words, whatever you plant, is what you shall harvest. Or, you can say this way, you will always harvest what you plant. If you plant corn, don’t expect to harvest pumpkins, you will harvest corn. If you plant pumpkins, don’t expect to harvest corn, because you are going to harvest pumpkins. It would certainly be a surprise, and against the laws of nature, if you planted corn and harvested pumpkins.
Point 4: Paul says all that to explain that God is mocked when the believer uses their freedom from the law to deliberately sow into his or her flesh.
Galatians 6:8 states, “For the one who sows into his own flesh, will from the flesh reap corruption.” Earlier, when Paul said, “Do not be deceived”, I had wondered who or what is doing the deceiving? The word “deceived” implies that someone or something is responsible for deceiving. Nobody is deceived by nothing. When a person is deceived, they are deceived by something or someone, and Galatians 6:8 tells us who is doing the deceiving, and therefore, who we need to be looking out for – our own flesh. When Paul said, ‘Do not be deceived’, he is warning the believer to be careful, to be on guard, to be on the lookout, that he or she is not deceived or conned or snared or lured in by his or her own flesh, so that he or she will not mock God.
What is the flesh? The flesh is that part of us that wants to satisfy our desire to sin. It’s that part of us that desires to commit acts of sexual immorality, such as sex outside marriage. It’s that part of that is adulterous. It’s that part of us that desires to commit acts of lustful pleasure, such as porn or acts of homosexuality. It’s that part of us that remains selfish. It’s that part of us that causes jealousy, envy, enmity, division, and strife. It’s that part of us that desires to lose all self-control and go into fits of rage and anger. It’s that part of us that longs to go to wild parties and satisfy our desire for alcoholic beverages. It’s that part of us that is greedy. It’s that part of us that is idolatrous.
Point 5: Also, Paul is not talking about unintentional sin here.
Every believer struggles with the temptation to sin. As I have learned by experience, and through the Scriptures, it is impossible for any Christian to walk through life on this planet without ever falling into temptation. And when he or she does they should ask forgiveness.
I believe Paul demonstrates the struggle with sin every believer has in Romans 7:19-23, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is not longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.”
When we commit our lives to Jesus a war begins to take place between our saved souls and the body of sin that our saved soul dwells in. And so, there are times we end up failing to resist temptation, and doing things we do not even wish to do. For example, we react in ways we do not mean to, we say things we do not mean to say; we think things we do not mean to think, we do things we do not mean to do.
I say all this to say: If you are a Christian, and you struggle with sin, you’re okay, that is natural. Every saved person goes through that. Not trying to excuse sin, but just letting you know, you’re not alone, every saved person goes through this struggle.
Point 6: What Paul is talking about is a deliberate sowing of sin.
When a believer “sows” into his or flesh, it is deliberate. Just like when a farmer sows corn, it is purposeful; so when a believer sows into his or her flesh, it is purposeful. Just like when a farmer sows tobacco, he is willfully doing so; in the same way, Paul is talking about believers willfully sowing into their desire to satisfy their sin nature. Just like when a farmer sows sweet potatoes or peanuts or soybeans, it is intentional; in the same way, Paul is talking about a believer intentionally sowing into their desire to sin.
So, putting this all together, when a believer “sows” into his or flesh, they mock God the Father. When a follower of Jesus deliberately, willfully, and purposely, and intentionally satisfies their desire to sin, they are ridiculing God and they are treating God with contempt. They are making a mockery of the freedom God has given them through His only Son Jesus Christ.
As we have said many times, just because we are set free from the law, doesn’t mean the law of God has been set aside for us and that we no longer have to abide by it. If we, as saved beings, deliberately use the freedom we have in Jesus Christ to indulge in drunkenness, pursue our selfish ambitions, delve into acts of sexual immorality, please our lustful pleasures, and do whatever else that gratifies the desires of the flesh, we are mocking God. It is one thing if we fall into unintentional sin (not trying to excuse that), but is something entirely different when a believer deliberately sins.
And He will not tolerate it. God will not allow his Word, his precepts, his rules, or his commands to be willfully laid aside and deliberately disobeyed. Not even by those who are in the body of Christ. And if you are any Christian at all, you will not desire to.
Point 5: Then, Paul warns the believers in Galatia what they will harvest if they use their freedom from the law to satisfy their own sinful nature.
Galatians 6:8 states, “For the one who sows to his own flesh, will from the flesh reap corruption.” Even Job, in Job 4:8 said, ““As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.” In other words, if we sow into our sin nature, we will reap sin.
You may ask, why would a believer or anyone for that matter, deliberately sow into their sin nature? People who deliberately sow into their sin nature, do so because their mind is set on the things of the flesh. The Bible says in Romans 8:5, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh.” Which means, the reason someone is living according to the flesh is because they have set your mind on the things of the flesh. The reason someone commits acts of sexual immorality or lustful pleasure, such as porn or sex outside marriage, is becuase they have their mind set on doing those things. The reason someone attends wild parties and commits acts of drunkenness, is because they have set their mind on doing such things. The reason a married person commits acts of adultery, is because they have set their mind on doing such a thing. If you get your mind off the things your sin nature desires, and set your mind on the things God desires, set your mind on things above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God the Father, you will not live according to the flesh.
As long as someone’s mind is set on pleasing their sin nature, they will be hostile towards God, and they will be unable to submit to the Word of God. The Bible says in Romans 8:7, “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” And not only will they be hostile to God, not only can they not submit to the Word of God, as long as someone’s mind is set on pleasing the desires of their flesh, neither can they live a life pleasing to God. Again, the Bible says in Romans 8:8, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
Someone may ask, ‘What’s the big deal with living to satisfy my flesh? I believe in Jesus, I go to church, I pay my tithes; so, what’s the big deal with me looking at porn? What’s the big deal with me hanging out with the guys, kicking back a few beers, and getting a little buzz? What’s the big deal with me having sex with someone whom I’m not married to? What’s the big deal with me having sexual relations with someone of the same sex? So what if I pursue my ambitions? Who cares if I am a little greedy? It’s my life, and I have one life to live, why can’t I do as I please?
Well, people can do as they please. No one is saying we cannot. God is sovereign, and He has given man a will that is free. Human beings are free to do as they wish.
However, we should be warned: He who sows into their sin nature, shall reap destruction. The Greek word for “corruption” here in Gal. 6:8 means destruction, decay, rottenness, decomposition. So, according to Paul, any believer who uses their freedom from the law to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death.
We must know that no person, including those who believe in Jesus Christ, cannot expect to reap heaven while deliberately sowing into his or sin nature. Consider what Paul says in his letter to the believers at the church in Corinth, Paul said in 1 Cor. 6:9 & 10, “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers (a person who cheats or defrauds others) will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Also consider what Paul said to the believers in Rome, in Romans 8:13, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die”. Again, if we live to satisfy our sin nature, we will harvest death.
We can even consider Satan and his demons. They believe in God. They believe in Jesus. In fact, we see in Mark 1:24 demons confessing Jesus to be “the Holy One of God”, and despite their belief, despite their confession that Jesus is Lord, they remain condemned. And they remain condemned, because they deliberately disobey the commands of God.
Someone might say, I thought, according to Hebrews 9:12, once I put my faith in Jesus, my salvation is secure? Salvation is secure, if we have truly believed in Jesus, repented of our sin, and do not use the grace that has been given as a license to sin. The Bible says in Hebrews 10:26, “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.” In other words, if a man comes to the knowledge of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, but he continues to go on sinning deliberately, the only thing that awaits such a man is a fiery judgement.
The Bible also says in 2 Peter 2:20, if a man who has escaped the sins of this world “through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.” In other words, if a man who has been set free from sin by faith in Jesus, makes a deliberate return to his sin, he has become worse than he was the first time, and it would have been better if he never knew Christ in the first place.
Thus, salvation is secure for all those who have believed in Jesus, repented of their sin, and do not abuse the grace God has given them to sin. Instead, even though they may fall into temptation (for no Christian is perfect), they shall continually make a fight to resist their sin, they hate their sin, and they understand they cannot live one day in this world without the grace of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, let every believer be warned: willful, purposeful, deliberate, and intentional sin, is the kind of sin that makes a mockery of God, as well as the freedom He gives from the law, and condemns a soul to hell. God will not be mocked. You cannot expect to sow into your sin nature and expect to harvest the kingdom of God.
This is why I am always making a big deal on making war with your flesh, in order to kill it. Everyday, you face a war with your sin nature, and everyday you must, with the help of the Spirit, put to death the deeds of your body. Do that, and you will live, according to Romans 8:13.
Point 6: Instead of sowing into our flesh, Paul encourages the believers in Galatia to sow into the Spirit.
Galatians 6:8 states, “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” If we sow into the Spirit, we will reap from the Spirit.
I want to know, how does one sow into the Spirit? If we are going to sow into the Spirit, we must live a life pleasing to God. Those who live their life sowing in the Spirit live their life to satisfy God. Those who live their life sowing in the Spirit live their lives delighting themselves in God. Those who live their life sowing in the Spirit live their lives for the glory of God.
How do we live a life pleasing to God? We live a life pleasing to God by living a life in the Spirit. It’s a cycle. We sow into the Spirit by living a life that pleases God and we live a life pleasing unto God by living in the Spirit. You cannot do one without doing the other.
So, how do we live life in the Spirit? We live a life in the Spirit, and therefore a life pleasing to God, by setting our mind on the things of God. Romans 8:5 states, “those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”
What are the things of the Spirit? The things of the Spirit, according to Galatians 5:22 are, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. So, someone who sows into the Spirit is going to set their minds on being loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. And remember, these things are not produced in us by our own effort, but produced in us when we commit ourselves to be guided by the Spirit. So, you could say we sow into the Spirit, and therefore live a life pleasing to God, when we deny ourselves and surrender to the leading of the Spirit.
Point 7: When we sow into the Spirit, it is very much opposite from when we were sowing into our flesh.
Here’s what I mean: When we had our mind set on the things of the flesh, we lived a life hostile to God. But when we set our mind on the things of the Spirit, no longer do we live hostile to God, we live a life that is friendly to God, and he shall be friendly to us.
When we had our mind set on the things of our flesh, we could not submit to God’s Word. But when we set our mind on the things of the Spirit, we live a life submitting to, and surrendering to, and obeying the law of God. No longer are we setting aside the Word of God, his precepts, his rules, his standards, and his commands to live how we please. When we set our mind on the things of the Spirit, God’s word becomes our life. It becomes our world-view. It becomes the lens for which we view the world. It has become our standard of living. It becomes our guide for the way we conduct ourselves as we go through this world.
And lastly, when we had our mind set on the things of our flesh, we were not living a life pleasing to God. But when we set our mind on the things of the Spirit, we live a life that is very pleasing to God. We live a life that God delights in. A life that God is satisfied with. A life that God takes pleasure in. A life that is glorifying Him.
Point 7: In closing, there is a stark contrast in the harvest between those who sow in their flesh from those who sow into the spirit.
According to Paul in Gal. 6:8, if we live our life sowing into the Spirit instead of our flesh we will “will reap eternal life.” If we live our life in this world with our mind set on the things of the Spirit instead of the things of our flesh, we will inherit the kingdom of God. Where there is no more temptation to sin, no more death, no more crying, no more disease, no more war, no more natural disasters, no more sickness, no more pain, no more affliction, no more tribulation, no more sorrow, and no more suffering. All the things of this world will be no more. There will only be endless and everlasting joy!
But sowing into the Spirit and reaping eternal life begins with acknowledging we are sinners, repenting of our sins and believing in Jesus Christ for salvation. We must turn away from the desires of our flesh and seek forgiveness for having lived a life willfully satisfying the desires of our sin nature. Then, we must believe in the Lord, Jesus Christ. Believe he is God, that he is the Son of God, that he died, was buried, and rose from the grave the forgiveness of your sins. And we must surrender to his Lordship, meaning, we must dedicate the rest of our life resisting our desire to sin, following Jesus, and setting our mind on the things of the Spirit. Do this, and we will be saved. We will reap eternal life.