Don't Play Games with God
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Some time ago, Ann Landers published a letter from a prison inmate. It was a pathetic letter that really tugged at your emotions, written by a man whose mother had just died, & he couldn’t attend her funeral because he was in prison.
He wrote, not to complain about the legal system, because he said that he really did deserve what he was getting. But he wrote to tell the story of his life, how his mother’s one wish was that he would be released from prison before she died. And how that one wish was never realized.
He said, "The reason I am in prison is because I thought I could take shortcuts, that somehow I could ignore the rules & regulations, & get away with it completely." But he didn’t, & you really never do.
Sin will take you farther than you want to go, cost you more than you want to pay, and keep you longer than you want to stay!
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
· The Law of Sowing and Reaping
· The Law of Sowing and Reaping
o Law #1: You Reap What You’ve Sown
o Law #1: You Reap What You’ve Sown
o Law #2 You Reap Where You’ve Sown
o Law #2 You Reap Where You’ve Sown
o Law #3 You Reap More Than you’ve Sown
o Law #3 You Reap More Than you’ve Sown
Don’t Play Games With God, v.7
Don’t Play Games With God, v.7
There is no way for you and I to fool God. He sees right through the games that we play. So if you are one that plays the church game, you more about churchianty instead of true Christianity, God see it. The truth is that we will never be able to deceive God. So don’t be deceiving yourself in thinking that you can. We may have those around us fooled, we may have people in church fooled and we may have ourselves fooled but we will never be able to fool God.
Remember that God knows everything there is to know about you. He knows all of your deepest, darkest secrets. There is nothing He does not know about you. This can seem kind of frightening when you stop to think about it. Those things about you that no one knows, God knows them.
When you begin to understand that God is all knowing and there is nothing that ever gets past his view point it can bring much comfort as well as confidence. Because God is truly watching over you. So God is not Mocked is He?
But what does does it say before that in v.7?
There is a Deceiver
There is a Deceiver
Satan, “…which deceiveth the whole world…” Rev. 12:3-9
Satan, “…which deceiveth the whole world…” Rev. 12:3-9
So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Satan “…the father of lies.’ John 8:44
Satan “…the father of lies.’ John 8:44
You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
He deceived Eve into disobeying God. Gen 3
He deceived Eve into disobeying God. Gen 3
He deceives Christians into believing there will be a great revival before the rapture. 2 Thess. 2:3; Matt. 24:23-25
He deceives Christians into believing there will be a great revival before the rapture. 2 Thess. 2:3; Matt. 24:23-25
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.
So we see in this passage in Gal. 6 that there is a deceiver and we are to not be deceived by him and there is also something else we are instructed to know...
Don’t Deny The Inevitable, 8
Don’t Deny The Inevitable, 8
Honestly, this seems like basic common sense. Would we think that we would harvest onions when we planted tomatoes? No one would be so foolish. So why do we think that we can continue to live in a sinful manner and still be able to be please God? Godliness and ungodliness will never mix. There will never be a moment that we can think we can live for ourselves and still be living for God.
In fact, some Christians spend the first six days of each week sowing their wild oats, then they go to church on Sunday and pray for a crop failure."
A. If you sow to the flesh…
You reap corruption
You reap corruption
you are not going to have crop failure you are going to have corruption.
1. Definition: ‘Ruin’ or ‘Decay’ Destruction
The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction.
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
1. Adultery Sex outside of marriage
2. Fornication Pornography (porneia)
3. Uncleanness Impurity
4. Lewdness Sexual lust
5. Idolatry False Worship
6. Witchcraft/Sorcery
7. Hatred
8. Contentions Being Argumentative
9. Jealousy
10. Out burst of Wrath - Fierce anger
11. Selfish ambitions - Strife
12. Dissensions - Sedition Division/Disunity
13. Heresies - Doctrinal Error
14. Envy - ill-will or spite
15. Murders
16. Drunkenness
17. Revelries - loose living
18. And Such like
…shall not inherit the kingdom of God!
If you sow to the Spirit…
You Reap Everlasting Life
You Reap Everlasting Life
Notice that ‘the Spirit’ is the Holy Spirit
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
The truth being told here is that you truly do reap what you sow. You, sow sin, self, flesh, anger, disappointment, wrath, you will reap the very say thing. If you sow love, joy, peace, kindness, self control, the very fruits of the spirit we covered in the message last week. Gal. 5:22 your will reap those things in your life as well in due time. So don’t grow weary in sowing those the seeds of the Spirit. v9. “For in due season we shall reap if we don’t not lose heart.”
We Sow To The Spirit when…
We Sow To The Spirit when…
1. We Do His Work - Eph. 2:10
1. We Do His Work - Eph. 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
2. We Do His Will - Romans 12:2
2. We Do His Will - Romans 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Conc.
· It’s not a matter of if you’re reaping what you’ve sown, but rather, do you like what you’re reaping?
· “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
· If you like what you’re reaping, keep sowing what you’re sowing.
· If you don’t like what you’re reaping, starting sowing something different!