2 Peter 3:3-13 (NIV)

INTRODUCTION

For the last three weeks we’ve been looking at the beginnings of the Christian church as recorded in scripture. Our focus has been primarily the description of the church as recorded in Acts 2:42-47 and I’ve been sharing with you what I believe God has been teaching me about 4 verbs or action words that are demonstrated in the life of a church with impact. The way church can and should be. God’s vision for Hanover Pentecostal Church is that we be like a “City on a Hill” and I believe that we have been moving closer and closer to this vision being realized and indeed we are taking on characteristics of that vision year by year. Embracing and practicing these action words that we find in the character of the church of Acts will further accelerate our growth as a church family and the fulfillment of that vision to be a “city on a hill”.

I want to make something clear however. The church of Acts is a great example but it wasn’t perfect! They had difficulties – they made some mistakes. Realizing this is important because not only do we learn from what they did right but we also learn that God continued to work through the church in spite of what they did wrong – and the important thing we notice is that they learned from those mistakes as they continued along the journey God had given His people to travel. It is a journey that we continue today. And indeed in the life of every local church we will not be perfect! We make mistakes – but remember God will continue to work through the church in spite of those mistakes if we are humble and repentant before him and willing to learn from our errors!

So far we’ve looked at three action words. INSPIRE – the church of Acts impacted and influenced the communities they were found in because of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in their midst and through people in the church. The church didn’t blend in with their surroundings but stood out in inspiring ways. INVOLVE – the church of Acts demonstrated their understanding that God wants to be involved through the church in spreading the good news of the gospel and the life of Christ and wants people to be involved in His plans and purposes. The church of Acts also demonstrated the awareness and willingness to involve everyone in the church in kingdom work! Last week we looked at EQUIP – the leaders of the church rightly taught that God equips everyone who believes in Him with the tools to accomplish the specific things he wants them to do – the more we grow in knowledge of Him (that is participatory knowledge – a knowledge not only from learning facts and information but also from doing) the more we tap into the divine power God equips us with. Along with this, we learned that God gifts, apostles, evangelists, prophets, pastors-teachers to the church to prepare God’s people for works of service. In other words leaders in the church help people recognize their gifts and put them into practice. The leaders also help prepare people in teaching and upholding the Word of God. The leaders also point people to opportunities for service. And so the church is a place of equipping.

Finally, today we come to the fourth and last word in this series looking at the action words of the church. And this word is GROW. We see this action word demonstrated first in Acts 2:41,

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Acts 2:41 (NIV)

And then a little bit later in describing the things happening in the first church we read,

…praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2:47 (NIV)

PRAY

One thing you quickly notice when you read through the book of Acts and the other letters to the churches found in the New Testament is that it growth is normal. Wherever there is a description about the impact and activity of the church there is also recognition given to the growth taking place.

Another thing you notice (particularly in Acts 2:47) is that it is God who grows His church. Now why would it be that God grows the church? Because God wants the church to grow – He wants more people in His kingdom! As was read this morning, Peter writes,

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

But then, what kind of people does God want in the church – or in His kingdom? Matthew records Jesus extending this invitation to all who are burdened with sin…

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:29-30 (NIV)

John records in Revelations the invitation is extended to anyone who wants to be saved from the consequence of sin (which is death) and enter into life.

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
Revelation 22:17 (NIV)

So God grows the church, and He wants the kingdom to grow. Another thing you notice is that it is through the church (the people that make up the church) that God produces this growth. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church,

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.
1 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV)

Paul underscores this principle that Jesus first taught to His followers when He was teaching about what the kingdom of heaven is like. In Matthew 13:31-32, Jesus described God’s kingdom as being like a mustard seed which is very tiny – but eventually grows into a very big tree. Certainly we see, the evidence of that in the church of Acts which started off with 11 Apostles and a small group of disciples in an upper room waiting on the gift of the Holy Spirit – a few days later the church exploded and 3000 were added. Over weeks and months 10,000 and then 20,000 people were found in the church family but it was still a small seed.

In Matthew 13:33 the kingdom of heaven is compared to leaven. Leaven is a small lump of dough, about the size of a golf ball, that is left on the hearth overnight while the yeast inside grows. In the morning a baker would take that lump and mix it with about ? a bushel of flour and this lump will cause it to rise. What will it take for revival, for a community to experience 1^st century type of growth? A small lump of leaven. If a church is about doing God’s business – it will impact the community!

That’s what Paul wrote to the Corinthians – he said, I planted the seed, Apollos watered but God made it grow. Paul was merely doing what Jesus wants all of His people to do. Growth only comes when something is sown. In Matthew 13:1-9 Jesus shared the parable of the sower and then explained it in verse 18. I’m going to leave it to you to read that parable but in this parable we learn some important things about what the sower does. What is the job of the sower?

? To look at the ground and decide if it is worth wasting the seed? No, if that was the case then he would have never sowed on the path.

? To prepare the ground before sowing the seed? If that was the case then all of the rocks would have been removed before he sowed the seeds.

? Jesus is using this parable to tell us that we must sow. If the hearts are hard, it is our job to sow. If they cannot turn loose of the things of this world it is still our job to sow!

This church and you individually will reap what you sow. If the church is not experiencing growth, if souls are not being added to the kingdom, the law of sowing and reaping says there can only be two reasons:

1. We are sowing bad seed
2. We are not sowing at all.

However, according to Peter…

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
1 Peter 1:23 (NIV)

So that leaves only one choice. Unfortunately, there are many in the church today who refuse to sow! And in looking at the first century church we can discover that some of the very same reasons that plague the Christian church today troubled the first century church.

You seen the truth is, many believers will readily accept that God wants to grow His church and will even say that they want His kingdom to grow…but we don’t want more people. It only takes one person to potentially sabotage God’s plan. So if a church is serious about growth everyone must be serious about growth, from the deacons, to the pastors, to every member in the church. We must be willing to sow seeds. If we aren’t sowing seeds it’s usually because of one of the following reasons…

We want the church to grow but we don’t want people because…

i. …we’re afraid of people

A Christian man owned a barber shop, and one night during a Gospel Meeting he felt greatly burdened to do more for the cause of Christ. So he went out and got a copy of “Go Ye Means Go Me!” and started attending a “soul winners class” at his church. He attended the class faithfully; rehearsed all the material, took extensive notes, and memorized the assigned Bible verses. At the end of the class he received a certificate acknowledging his completion of the course.

The next morning, in the barber shop, he hung the certificate and bowed his head. “Dear Lord,” he prayed, “help me to talk about you with the first man to come through that door this morning.” At that moment in walked the biggest, meanest, foulest man the barber had ever seen. It seems this man had recently lost a bet and now he had to get his head shaved. Needless to say, the barber did not feel very comfortable quoting the “5 Step Plan of Salvation” to a man with a tattoo of a dragon on his neck.

The day just got worse from there and finally at 5:00 p.m., the barber was sobbing with shame. He had not spoken about Christ to a single person. He bowed his head again. This time he prayed, “Lord, if you will allow one more opportunity, I promise I will do my part.” At that, the door opened and in walked a pleasant looking gentleman. The man smiled at the barber, apologized for coming in so late and took a seat in the chair.

As the barber draped the man in his protective sheet, he began to try to remember what he was supposed to say. He began to get very befuddled. As the barber put shaving cream on the man’s face, he tried to remember all of the answers he had learned to the possible objections, and what to say when. Soon the barber realized that he simply could not remember a thing he had learned and he broke out in a cold sweat but not wanting to fail he figured that he had to take a shot. Finally, in desperation, he shook the razor at the man and screamed, “ARE YOU PREPARED TO DIE??!!!”

Sometimes we don’t’ sow many seeds because there are some people we are afraid of, just like the Barber was afraid of the big man with the tattoo on his neck. This is nothing new. In Acts chapter 9:26 we discover that the early church struggled with this reason too!

When he [SAUL] came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.
Acts 9:26 (NIV)

The church was afraid of Saul and I understand that – Saul had been directly or indirectly responsible for the persecution and even death of many Christian believers. When you look back up at verse 10 you discover that even Ananias didn’t want the church to grow if Saul was the next to be added.

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
Acts 9:10-14 (NIV)

Imagine what it was like for the Lord to appear directly to Ananias. If it happened to you and God said I have something I need you to do wouldn’t you be chopping at the bit ready to spring into action? Well, Ananias wasn’t’ as excited when he realized the nature of the task. But then you read further and you discover that Ananias ended up willingly obeying the direction of the Lord in spite of his initial hesitations. Can you imagine the loss the church would have suffered if Saul had not been converted. Would there have been another man who could have boldly taken the good news to the Gentiles! A loss that didn’t occur because Ananias let the Lord decide who needed to be in the church.

I can’t help but wonder what type of loss the Christian Church has experienced today because of our fear. What kinds of people do you fear – what we need to always remember is that no matter what condition a person is in they are in the same condition all of us are in apart from God. Does God need to check with you before He lets these people in the kingdom?

We want the church to grow but we don’t want people because…

ii. …we don’t want “different” people.

Norman Cates tells the story of a guy who prayed every morning: “Lord, if you want me to tell someone about you today, please give me a sign to show me who it is.”

One day he found himself alone on a bus. At the next stop, a big, burly man got on the bus and sat right next to our praying friend. The timid Christian anxiously waited for his stop so he could exit the bus. But before he could get very nervous about the big guy next to him, the big guy burst into tears and began to weep.

The big guy’s crying got louder and louder, and then at the height of his tears he shouted out, “I feel so empty inside, I need something to give me peace, I need to be saved, and I need someone to show me how to get to the Lord. Won’t somebody tell me how to be saved?”

He then turns to the Christian and pleaded with him, “Please can you tell me about Jesus, can you show me how to be saved?”

With that, the Christian immediately bowed his head and prayed, “Lord, is this a sign?”

Ralph Parlett in his book “The University of Hard Knocks” states that we as Christians need to quit praying for opportunities and begin praying for optometrists

If we were truly honest with ourselves sometimes we want the church to grow but we would prefer that certain different people wouldn’t be around. Now this often varies from individual to individual and church to church but these differences may be color of skin, cultural background, whether the person is poor or rich, how they dress, or just generally “different”. There is a story in Acts that illustrates how an early leader in the Christian church struggled with this very issue. In Acts 10, the apostle Peter is on the roof praying,

He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
Acts 10:10-14 (NIV)

Listen carefully to Peter’s self-righteousness. “Never Lord! I have never eaten any of that bad stuff.” Peter was so interested in being right that he missed the point. It takes another vision, a trip to Joppa, and the tale of a Cornelius’ vision (a non-Jewish man) before Peter finally understands and makes this statement,

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.
Acts 10:34-35 (NIV)

Now that’s a big step from someone who was taught his whole lie that he was God’s chosen and the Gentiles (non-Jewish people) were dogs at best. It is a harsh reality that in God’s eyes we are all loved equally. Chapter 10 ends with the wonderful salvation and baptism of Cornelius and his entire household but then Peter had to go back to Jerusalem and you can be sure that Peter was in for some “correcting”. I can almost picture the elders of the Jerusalem church sitting on the front porch waiting for Peter’s return…

The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
Acts 11:1-3 (NIV)

Peter goes on to explain the events that had occurred and finally in verse 18 we are told that they eventually accepted the fact that God would even save non-Jewish people BUT still not everyone was willing to share the gospel with them! It’s telling that verse 19 records.

Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews.
Acts 11:19 (NIV)

In his biography, Handyman of the Lord; William Holmes Border tells the parable of a deprived black man who had been reduced to begging for food. You can substitute any “different person” in this story and get the same idea.

Ringing the front doorbell at a southern mansion, the black man informed the occupant, “I’m hungry.” The answer was, “Go around to the back door.” The white man brought food and said, “First we will bless the food. Now repeat after me, ‘Our Father. . .”‘

The black man said, “Your Father. . .”

The white man stopped and looked at the beggar and with frustration in his voice and said “No! repeat after me, ‘Our Father. . .”‘

The black man said, “Your Father. . .”

“Why do you insist on saying, ‘Your Father,’ when I keep telling you to say, ‘Our Father?”‘

The black beggar answered, “Well, boss, if l say ‘Our Father,’ that would make you and me brothers, and I’m afraid the Lord wouldn’t like it, you making your brother come to the back porch to get a piece of bread.”

Friends, God shows no partiality when it comes to race, culture, class, or background – why should we? Are you open to different people being a part of your church?

We want the church to grow but we don’t want people because…

iii. we don’t’ want people in this church that my friends don’t want!

Peter struggled with this same issue. We’ve already looked at how Peter was used by God to bring about the first non-Jewish converts. As long as he was in Caesarea he didn’t mind eating, studying, and visiting with the Gentile believers but when he got back among his Jewish friends the story was a little different. Paul exposed this and gives us insight in his letter to the Galatians…

When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
Galatians 2:11-14 (NIV)

Now some of us might not mind being associated with certain people, but there is this inner struggle of “if my closer friends don’t want them, I’ll ignore them around my closer friends.” That struggle has existed for years! Even some religious people in Jesus’ day struggled with this issue:

Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.
John 12:42-43 (NIV)

Jesus himself was criticized for the people He associated with. And folks, He associated with sinners! Our problem today is unless we can figure out a better and easier way to carry out the will of God than Jesus did, we will have to face the ridicule and criticism of good people. Jesus faced persecution for loving the unlovable. If we are truly to be about the Father’s business of sharing the good news and loving the unlovable as Christ did then we need to take His words to heart that are found in John 15:20,

Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
John 15:20 (NIV)

Unfortunately we live in a world that has it’s priorities mixed up. Someone somewhere told you that you were better, smarter, faster or better looking than someone else. It might have been your wife or husband, first boyfriend or girlfriend, dog, or it might have been your grandmother. Or maybe someone told you that you weren’t as good, or pretty, or smart. Whatever you were told, whether you wanted it to or not it has helped shape who you are. Now I’m not going to tell you that I’m ok and you’re ok but to be totally honest with you – we all want to be normal, but the writers of scripture (inspired by the Holy Spirit) insist that no one is normal, at lest not as God describes normal, God says, “We all like sheep have gone astray” And it is that going astray that makes us the unlovable Christ died for.

I have been comforted for more than 20 years by the though that Jesus welcomes, not only sensible sinners, but stupid ones as well. (John Haddington)

Jesus came into the world and pointed out sin as it really is – with all of its heartache and filthiness. He died because of his love for people and because of his compassion took care of the sin. He was the great community builder. He understood what it was to see people with their weirdness and accept them anyway.

We need to ask the same question of ourselves that Paul posed to himself in the letter to the Galatians,

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:10 (NIV)

We want the church to grow but we don’t want people because…

iv. …we don’t want those who could inconvenience us.

Chuck Swindoll tells about a man who went to see a psychiatrist because he was extremely depressed. After an hour together that the psychiatrist was struggling to get the man to snap out of it. So he said to the man, “Tonight I want you to go to the circus in town because they have a clown named the Great Rinaldi, he is the funniest clown I have ever seen. Whenever I go to see the Great Rinaldi it always lifts my spirits.”

The man responded. “You don’t understand doctor, I am the Great Rinaldi.”

The community and the world we live in is full of “Great Rinaldis”, that is people who are empty and searching for some type of meaning. Their days are filled with desperation and they can’t seem to find relief. They put on masks of happiness and appear fine to everyone around them but when they return to their homes at night they cry themselves to sleep because their life is pointless and they long to find something in life to make them happy and give them a sense of meaning. They look at their lives and wonder what it is all about. Life must have more to offer me than this, they say.

God has given this church and the members of this church the responsibility to reach these hurting people (to be a city on a hill!). It should be a hospital for the hurting not a museum for the saved. The church is a place for people who have problems. People like…

? the single mother who works two jobs to support her kids.

? the drug addict who can’t stop his habit

? the young person who struggles with self-esteem

? the young couple who live together and have never been exposed to the best way to build a home

? the man who does not respect his boss, so he steals from the company and from his co-workers

? the woman who goes out searching for some excitement in the arms of a man that belongs to someone else.

? the alchoholic who is needs help

? the person who thinks they have everything but feel the emptiness of having nothing at all.

Those of us who claim to be followers of Christ are the ones who God sends out to bring the lost home. Because we understand that God wants all people saved, which will cause the church to grow. Time and time again we read in the scriptures that God wants everyone to be in a saved relationship with Him!

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:17 (NIV)

This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 (NIV)

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
Titus 2:11 (NIV)

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

Be honest with yourself for a moment. Think about that one person who turns your stomach. Think about that one person who makes your skin crawl at the very mention of their name. You know that one person who maybe has cheated you, or who has hurt you in some way. The one person who when they enter a room you immediately make a run for the door. Have you got that person in your mind? Now think about them while you listen to 2 Peter 3:9 again,

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

That person in your mind – God wants them to be saved! God offers them the same forgiveness he offered you. He wants you to invite them in…he wants you to show them that HE loves them also. But this is where we hit the snag. More often than not it isn’t just the people who make our skin crawl where we fail the test – it is that so many of us often pass by the hurting souls in our world and ignore them and in doing so we miss an amazing opportunity to plant a seed. All because we want the church to grow but we don’t want anyone who will be an inconvenience. Some of the greatest opportunities we will ever have to change this world for the cause of Christ are hidden in the little inconveniences of life.

CONCLUSION

Now I’ve shared with you only four of a whole bunch of reasons why the church doesn’t grow. But the point I’m trying to get across is that yes, it is God who brings the growth but He does so through the seed planting of the church! God makes the seeds that are planted grow. If we aren’t sowing seeds – there isn’t going to be any harvest!

Now we’ve seen the first century church was healthy and was growing by leaps and bounds, but we have also noticed that it was not perfect. That’s why the Hebrew writer had to remind the Jewish Christians to examine themselves constantly to see if they were living a healthy Christian life or if they were backsliding into their legalistic traditions, customs and sinful ways of life.

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

We need to constantly invite God’s word to examine the thoughts and intents of our hearts. It’s not something that you do on a yearly basis but something a healthy Christian does consistently. With that in mind we need to answer only to ourselves and to God the following questions using the scriptures to examine our Christian walk…

Is my attitude towards church growth similar to some of the people we’ve heard about today?

Do I want everyone here, or do I try to keep out those that I fear or who are different than I am?

As you struggle with financial and time constraints are you willing to love those who are sick hurting, dirty, or who would be an inconvenience the way that Christ loved you?

Friends, I don’t know about you but I want to be a part of a church that Inspires (I want my life to inspire!), I want to be a part of a church that INVOLVES (I want to be involved and work together with others), I want to be a part of a church that EQUIPS (I want to use my gifts and abilities to advance God’s kingdom and be prepared and prepare others for service in His kingdom), and finally, I want to be a part of a church that GROWS (I want to plant seeds and see those seeds bear fruit) – to see our numbers increase with people who once were lost but find their place in the ever growing Kingdom of God! To me, that sounds like something I want to be a part of, something that I’ve been created to be a part of, and praise the Lord, something that He invites us to be a part of! Will you join me?

Titus 3:1-8 (NIV)

1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. 3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

INTRODUCTION

Ever hear of something called “jogging in a jug”? “Jogging in a Jug” is a concoction of 4 parts grape juice, 4 parts apple juice, and 1 part apple cider vinegar. Yum, yum! It?s a folk remedy for high cholesterol; a kind of “Drano” for your arteries. Supposedly, two ounces a day of this stuff and your insides will be as slick and clean as a whistle. Now, I don?t know if it works. It?s never been scientifically proven to do anything except cause you to make an awful face when you drink it. But wouldn?t it be great if it did? Just the name sounds appealing: “Jogging in a jug.” Wouldn?t it be great if you could gain all the benefits of jogging without actually having to exercise! If you could lower your cholesterol and improve your health without having to strap on your Nikes and “just do it”. If instead, you could “just drink it”? No getting up before dawn to drive to the gym; no hours of pain on the Stairmaster or Bowflex! Just a shot glass of vinegar and it?s “please pass the jelly doughnuts!”

Take another example. It used to be that if you ate junk food, you got fat. Now, we have Olestra, a fat substitute, so we can eat greasy potato chips and ice cream to our heart?s content without raising our cholesterol. Over the years, we?ve developed a multitude of artificial sweeteners ? cyclamates, saccharin, aspartame ? so we can drink all the sodas we want without rotting our teeth and expanding our middles. And if you do happen to eat something with actual fat or calories, you don?t need to go to the gym to lose weight. All that sweating and huffing and puffing is so 1980?s. Now, you just make an appointment with your friendly local liposuctionist, and for a couple of thousand dollars, he?ll suck that fat right out.

In short, in today?s society people are constantly trying to do is repeal the law of sowing and reaping, sever the connection between action and consequence. Not just with eating and drinking, but in every area of life. It?s a universal human urge: people to want to enjoy the benefits without paying the price.

Take money. Why is the lottery, casino, or slot machines so popular? It?s an opportunity to become wealthy without labor. There are other ways to acquire wealth, but they?re not nearly as appealing, because they all involve work. That?s why people love game shows like “Who wants to be a millionaire?” Just answer a dozen trivia questions, and you?re rich. No years of medical school, no years of working late at the office, no years of sacrificing and saving and investing. Just ten minutes sitting across from Regis and ? boom! ? instant wealth. Now I?m not knocking game shows or saying that Regis is evil [although he does sort of resemble the devil in those dark, monochrome suits]. But we should ask ourselves why these shows are so popular. It?s the appeal of having wealth without having to earn it. It?s the appeal of breaking that link between work and reward.

Now, while you may be able to acquire wealth without labor, or reverse the consequences of overeating, there?s at least one area of life where the law of sowing and reaping always applies. And that?s in our spiritual life. Our character, our relationship with God, our relationships with one another, these are ruled by the law of sowing and reaping. It?s part of the moral fabric of the universe. This law can?t be overturned by drinking vinegar; it can?t be repealed by a winning lottery ticket. It holds fast. And so the way of wisdom is not to war against it, but to understand it and live by it and benefit from it. Ignoring the law of sowing and reaping only leads to sorrow and regret. What we need to do is respond to it in a way that?s spiritually healthy and pleasing to God.

Galatians 6:7-9 (NIV)

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

GOD CANNOT BE MOCKED?

What?s Paul?s first point? “Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked.” Some people today are mocking God. Not explicitly ? they?re not glaring up at the sky, laughing at God, taunting Him, daring Him to strike them down. But they are mocking Him implicitly, by the way they?re living; by disregarding His claims on their life. Ignoring God, ignoring His law, ignoring His Son Jesus Christ. Living however they please, with no thought or concern about God. They think they?re beating the system. They think they?re “gettting away with it.” They think that as long as they?re clever enough to cover their tracks, as long as they can avoid discovery and exposure, as long as no one finds out, then they can do whatever they want.

But what Paul is telling us here is that they?re not getting away with it. It?s corroding their soul. It?s destroying their integrity. It?s eroding the foundation of their relationships, and placing or reinforcing a barrier between them and God. And sooner or later, it is going to come out. Sooner or later, they will reap what they?ve been sowing.

[World Magazine, June 12 1999]. “When Harvard Divinity School dean Ronald F. Thiemann, a Lutheran theologian, suddenly stepped down from his post last November, he said it was for “personal and professional reasons.” Last month, the Boston Globe filled in the blanks. It said he had been forced to resign after technicians at the school told Harvard officials they had found thousands of pornographic images on his university-owned home computer. Mr. Thiemann had summoned the workers to install a larger hard disk and to transfer the contents of the old disk to it.”

Did Mr. Thiemann expect to be exposed? Certainly not. But in the sovereignty of God, it did come to light. And the result was a stained career and reputation.

But ? What if you don?t get caught? Sometimes the cover-up works, doesn?t it? What if you?re never exposed? What then? Well, at the very least, hidden sin weakens our relationship with God. When Christians try to conceal their sin, it distances them from their Lord. It erects a barrier to prayer; it destroys fellowship with Christ. And at worst, concealed sin shows that there was never really a relationship with God to begin with. You see, people who think they?re “getting away with it” may be able to con everyone around them, every day of their lives, until the day of their death. But they can?t con God. There will be a judgment, and all of their deeds, good and bad, will be exposed.

1 Timothy 5:24-25 (NIV)24 The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. 25 In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.

Hebrews 4:13 (NIV)

13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Everything we sow eventually bears fruit. It?s the law of sowing and reaping. If what we?re sowing is bad, then the harvest will be bad, whether our deeds come to fruition in this life or whether they are exposed at God?s judgment seat on the last day.

“As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it.” ? Job 4:8

“He who sows wickedness reaps trouble, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.” ? Proverbs 11:18

“Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love . . .” ?Hosea 10:12

“Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” ? James 3:18

In a large, macro sense, we see this happening all the time. The events of the last couple of years around the world have certainly validated this principle. I?m not an expert on the so called “war on terrorism” and the effects of this war upon society as we know it. But I look at what is being reaped because of the seeds of dissension, anger, rage, and bloodlust that have been sown against the western world in the Arab nations. Some say that terrorism is a result of affluent nations ignoring the poverty of poorest nations ? some say that terrorism is the result of a twisted religion spawning its followers all over the world. I say terrorism is the result of the prince of evil, satan himself, sowing his seeds in any human heart that is receptive to their growing and magnifying the sinful human condition to the point where chaos results?

What seeds are you sowing??

Sowing and reaping. Deed and consequence. Let me pause here and ask you a question. What are you sowing in your life right now? Today, Sunday, January 5^th? How did you spend your day yesterday? Are you giving any thought to what you?re going to harvest from the seeds you?re planting right now? Are you seeking to please God, sowing seeds of obedience and service? Or are you sowing seeds of sin that will produce shame when Christ returns? Our words, and actions and decisions are more significant than we can possibly know. They echo through our lives and the lives of everyone we meet; they reverberate into eternity.

• What are you sowing in your children?s lives? What are you teaching them? Are you teaching them? What kind of example are you setting? How are you preparing them to walk with Christ?
• What are you sowing in your own spiritual life? Are you reading the Bible? Are you praying? Are you cultivating a relationship with God? Or are you neglecting your spiritual life? What kind of harvest are you expecting? Are you sowing seeds to produce a a strong faith, and joy, and peace? Are you expecting a harvest of Flowers, and fruits and vegetables? Or weeds?
• What are you sowing in your relationship with your spouse? Criticism? Neglect? Disapproval? You shouldn?t be surprised if those seeds produce a harvest of thorns and thistles. Or are you sowing encouragement, and praise, and attention? The harvest of those seeds is love.
• What about your relationships with others? Are you sowing peace, or discord?
• What are you filling your mind with? How are you spending your time and money? What kind of seeds are you planting in these areas? What kind of fruit are you expecting?

Here?s they key. We don?t have a choice as to whether the law of sowing and reaping is going to apply in our lives. “A man reaps what he sows.” We don?t have a choice whether the seeds we plant are going to bear fruit. And we don?t have the option of harvesting good fruit without first planting the seeds. The only choice we have is what kinds of seeds we?re going to plant. The choices you are making today, the actions you are taking today, with respect to your family, your marriage, your children, your relationship with God, your time and money ? these will bear fruit; either good fruit that will bring you joy, or bad fruit that will bring you heartache and sorrow. You have to decide: Which will it be?

DO NOT BE WEARY?

Now at about this time, I expect that some of you are starting to form some objections, some questions. Because this law of sowing and reaping, although absolutely true, is not necessarily simple in its application. For example, sometimes the “good fruit” doesn?t look all that good to us. We do our best to obey God, we pray, we read the Bible, we speak the truth, we seek peace with others, we stay faithful to our spouses and we love our kids. And yet, things still go wrong. Conflict, bitterness, angry words, betrayal, tears, sorrow. What gives? I thought that if I sowed good things, I would receive a good harvest. Let?s look again at Paul?s words:

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” ? Galatians 6:7-9

What do we see? Paul thought it necessary to caution us against becoming weary. He spoke about reaping a harvest “at the proper time.” Why? Because sometimes the harvest doesn?t come when we expect, or when we desire.

• Sometimes it takes months, years, decades. [Example: your children -- You may say something that you forget, but which sticks with them for years afterward.]
• Sometimes the harvest comes too late for us to see it. [Moses died before entering the promised land.]
• Sometimes we?re unaware of who we?ve influenced; the fruit appears when we?re not around to see it.
• And, in some cases, the harvest just doesn?t come in this life at all. Our reward is “Well done, Thou good and faithful servant.”

Here?s another thing: not only does the fruit sometimes appear at a time we don?t expect; sometimes it appears in a form we don?t recognize as good fruit. We were expecting strawberries and we got potatoes. Sometimes the result of obedience is not an improvement in our circumstances, but a strengthening of our faith and a refining of our character. God, in His wisdom, defines that as good fruit, even though we may be looking for something else.

So, what should we be doing? Just doing whatever we feel like, and hoping for the best? A garden treated that way would produce nothing but weeds. We need to reflect on how we?re living, we need to consider what kind of seeds we?re planting with our life. We need to work diligently to plant the right kind of seeds, so we won?t be disappointed at harvest time:

Proverbs 20:4 (NIV)

4 A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.

We need to place our trust and confidence in God. Only he can produce a good harvest. It?s by His power and grace, and not because of our effort, that good fruit comes.

1 Corinthians 3:6-7 (NIV)

6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

Finally, what about the bad seed we?ve already sown, the sins we?ve already committed, the months or years that have been wasted? Well, you may have to endure the consequences of your sin. You may need to accept that you?re going to be reaping some bad fruit. Maybe you?re experiencing that right now ? maybe you?re suffering the consequences of your past actions. Maybe you?re even reaping the fruit of someone else?s wrong choices. The important thing to realize is that there is a higher law that supersedes the law of sowing and reaping. And that?s the law of love, the law of grace. That?s the promise of forgiveness and eternal life to all who will place their faith in Jesus Christ. In Christ, the punishment for our sins is removed and our guilt is completely erased. We are no longer under God?s condemnation; our sins will not bear the fruit of God?s wrath and anger and judgment. Although we may still experience the consequences of our actions in this world, Christ will make sure there is no harvest of judgement in the next.

CONCLUSION

There is the story of a king who once invited his subjects to come to his palace for a feast. But the invitation was of a different sort. The moat around the palace had dried up. Since there was no water, and no promise of rain, the king asked each one of those he had invited to bring a vessel filled with water for the moat. Some of the guests brought buckets full. Others brought cups full. Still others brought snuff boxes filled with water.

When they had finished eating and drinking, dancing and singing, the king said, “Now your majesty has a surprise for you.” He threw open the door to his personal storehouse, and there was the king?s treasury, stocked up, overflowing: money, jewels, precious perfume, every form of treasure.

“Help yourself to my riches,” the king said, “But you can only take home the amount of treasure that you can carry in the vessel in which you brought water.”

Does that make you think of the words of Jesus?

Luke 6:38 (NIV)

38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”