Do Not Be Deceived - God Is Not Mocked Part 4 Series

Do Not Be Deceived – God Is Not Mocked Part 4

Scriptures: Gal. 6:7-9; Psalm 62:12; Rom. 2:5-7; 1 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 20:11-12

Introduction

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” Gal. 6:7-9

Today we celebrate our sixth year of being a Church. Wow! It has been six years since we had our first service. A lot has happened in those six years. In this final message of this series, I want to offer you a promise, some encouragement and a guaranteed return on your investment in this ministry according to God’s Word. The promise, the words of encouragement and the guarantee of a return on your investment is found in Galatians 6:7-9. This morning God wants all of us to understand that we will reap from what we are sowing here in this place or whatever Church you are a member of.

We started this Church in 2002 with two other families. There have been others who have come through the doors; some have stayed while others left. Some left because they were frustrated with working in a “small” Church. Some left because they became offended. Some left because they did not feel the Church was growing fast enough or they felt they could be fed better somewhere else. Regardless of the reason they did not stay, there were some good people who crossed our paths but decided that this was not the Church that could meet their needs. This will always be the case with churches, people will come and people will go as they continue their search for a place where they believe their family can best be served.

Then we have those who have come and have stayed. In this group we have those who are workers and those who just want to come and be fed. Again, this is common as in 95% of Churches you will find a few people doing a lot within the Church while others are hesitant to get involved. This morning I want to encourage you, if you are not actively involved in some ministry, to step up. For those of you who are functioning in several areas, I want to encourage you not to give up.

I. Reason To Get Involved

There are several Scriptures that tell us the benefits of working within the Church or in helping others. Although some people prefer to do their work outside of the Church (volunteering in different organizations – which is good) there is also a benefit to working within your local Church. We are going to examine several Scriptures from the Old and New Testament that acts as a promise not only for those who get involved, but also for those who choose not to get involved. We will start with what David said in Psalm 62:12. “And lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord. For You recompense a man according to his work.” (Psalm 62:12) In this verse David stresses that God is a loving God who will reward each man according to his work. Notice that David first stresses that God is a loving God and it is the “loving” God who will reward man according to what he does. Turn to Jeremiah chapter 17.

In Jeremiah 17:10, God says “I, the Lord, search the heart; I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.” In this verse we hear from God’s own mouth that He is going to reward man according to what he does. Now remember, this “reward” can be either good or bad, depending on how you lived your life. Think of this in terms of having a job. You do the job well and you get paid. If you do not do the job well, you will eventually lose that job. In either case, you are receiving something based on what you did. This is what God is saying. We will receive “something” based on what we are doing while we are here on earth. This is the point where the decision, while we are yet alive, and can influence our future rewards, Once we die, it’s over. Now jump over to the New Testament to the second chapter of the book of Romans.

Paul states the following in Romans 2:5-7: “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God who will render to each person according to his deeds; to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.” Paul confirms that those who are not living according to God’s ways will receive in the end according to how they lived here on earth. He states that those who are persevering through good works will receive their eternal life while those who are not obeying the truth will not. Again, regardless of how someone chooses to live their life, they will receive something on the day of judgment based on what they have earned – or what some would say, “what they have coming to them.” Now turn with me to the book of Peter, the first chapter.