Sermon(Gal 6:1-10): You'll reap as you've honestly sown

The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/50025286536

 

>> 1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if any one thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ... 5 For each man will have to bear his own load. 6 Let him who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, or whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Gal 6:1-10) <<

 

My brethren, please don't laugh at me. I thought of writing and publishing a book on English grammar when I was a senior in college, thinking I knew a lot about English. It was more than a comedy, it was just a scandal. If I had been a little bolder then, I would have brought great disgrace on my family forever. Let me tell you another story as to how eccentric I am. I thought that I knew all about theology, when I passed the entrance examination for a graduate school of theology. While in the graduate school, I read some number of books on theology. When I graduated from the graduate school of theology, I thought I could say that I knew theology considering the number of books I'd read. And I read more books on theology after the graduation. Now, I have to confess that I am truly ignorant about theology! Now I admit that I can understand only what kind of study the theology is. I say this because in the biblical text I read this passage: "If any one thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (v. 3)" I couldn't keep silent when the holy word of truth accurately showed my appearance, or my attitude. My brethren, do not boast of yourself too much. Do not like boasting of your knowledge, money, health, beautiful face or handsome face. Strangely enough, people around you get tired when you boast of yourself much. Some pastors fell into greed and achieved a large church by selfish ministry. One of them uttered sophistry that Christians must be blessed so much as to envied by others, when many people criticized them. There are some pastors who minister in large churches in Korea. Some of them are thoroughly humble, and have completely clean attitude toward money, so they do not look disgusting. However the pastor of a large church exerted a capitalist entrepreneurial spirit, so he treated the assistant minsters like employees of the gospel company, acted arbitrarily like a chaebol-owner, used all mean methods to achieve self-interest, and boasted of himself whenever he opened his mouth, making all hearers angry. Such ignorant religioners, thinking themselves to be somebody, boast themselves like that because they do not know there have been a lot of devout Christians in the kingdom of God, who lived a life of meekness, humility, love, cross, and honorable poverty, and taught many people the true Christianity and received much respect.

 

My brethren, even when you happen to boast of something about yourself, you must do it to comfort and strengthen others. That is, your showing off should be spiritual, not physical. You must be able to boast that you've lived with God all your life, even though you did not become very rich in the world because you killed the greed of your flesh and obeyed the will of the Holy Spirit. You can also boast that you've suffered a lot for the kingdom of God and for the spreading of the gospel. You can give others comfort and strength when you confess that God granted you even a lot of worldly blessings when you've lived the life of obedience to God in tribulation. But people will resent your boasting if you say to them you've been much blessed by God, when you have practiced lawlessness and taken possession of good things. You know a saying, 'A thief acts like he is not a thief.' You can see the psychology of the man, who is conscious of his ugly deeds and strives to conceal them by boasting of his splendid achievements. You know an old saying, 'The public sentiment is the mind of the God in heaven.' If people do not like you to boast, neither does God. This you should know.

 

The lesson today's text gives us: You'll reap as you've sown. Therefore you can't expect good fruits if you've sown bad seeds. All human beings are standing before God. The text of the Bible warns you that you're mocking God if you expect God's blessings when you've deceptively done good. You know the saying, 'Heaven helps those who help themselves.' It means that God is touched by him who lives a diligent and sincere life, so helps him. My brethren, live an honest and truthful life. Christianity is a truthful religion. In some religion, some religioners draw a strange picture or strange letters on a 10 won paper, and sell it for thousands of times or tens of thousands of times the production cost, saying it is a talisman having mysterious power. What an untruthful religion! But the God of Christianity is truthful. He became a man to redeem humans, and thoroughly paid the penalty for their sins on the cross. He suffered much to be the Savior of humans. The God in his humanity fasted for 40 days, and was very hungry. At this time, the Devil came to him and told him to make a stone around him into bread and to eat it. However God rejected the temptation of the Devil, for making a stone into bread is an untruthful behavior. Bread is made by the baking process of the dough of the wheat flour. The wheat was produced by a farmer who sowed the seeds and worked hard for the harvest for several months. The truthful God, who became a man, didn't make a stone into bread to eat it even when he had fasted for 40 days, in order that he might not insult the labors and pains of plants and humans. My brethren, is the truthful God building our houses in heaven through his working angels, or is he making our houses just by saying, "Let there be good houses"? Jesus said to us that he would go to heaven to prepare our houses. "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. (Jn 14:2-3)" Knowing how we suffered on earth for the gospel, God is preparing our abodes in heaven prudently and elaborately.

 

Truthfulness is one of the important sacred values of Christianity. God is truthful, but the Devil is completely untruthful. Devil teaches us to sacrifice others for our pleasure. Devil teaches us that all means are justified if the result is good. Devil teaches us to boast of ourselves in order to give rise to others' anger. Devil advises you to force the seller to extremely cut down the prices of goods, or advises you to sell goods at preposterously high price. Life is so precious, but the Devil makes humans see the life as valueless. This is a very insincere attitude, and God hates those who live in this insincere attitude. How awful it is for a man to live insincerely when even the almighty God is a completely sincere One! Those who live insincerely are the disciples of the Devil.

 

Therefore, God causes people to reap what they have sowed. This is the firm belief of God who became a human being and suffered hunger and death in this world. God causes those who have sown the seeds of flesh to reap the things of flesh. He gives good grades to those who have studied hard for the tests. Those who have trained themselves very hard for the game will win the game. God allows people working hard to be men of abundant wealth. God gives flawless children to those who have lived a flawless life. He gives filthy children to those who have lived a filthy life. God makes the man who doesn't work but is addicted to gambling lose all his wealth. He takes health and wealth from those who love alcohol. My brethren, have you not studied enough for the exam because you had to do God's work? Unless it's a special case, God gives you the mark corresponding to your study. If you have a decent faith, you'll be satisfied with the mark and give thanks to God for the mark; if you have an untruthful faith, you'll complain to God, saying, "Why is my mark so low? I didn't study much because I worked for you then." Let's say that you promised the church 10 million won for the construction of the church building while you live in difficult situation financially. The money never falls from heaven to you while you do nothing! You can get the money only if you work more in the sweat of your brow. Because sincerity and truthfulness require dedication and hard work, not just words.

 

By the way, the saying 'sows to his own flesh' in today's text refers to the life of seeking for only peace, joy and pleasure on earth, which disregards the eternal life in heaven. If you seek for only the things on earth, God permits you to gain only the things on earth. But this world is not eternal but is to disappear when the judgement of God comes upon it. And in the future, what will be left to him who has sought for only things on earth? What if you die with a 10 billion won building left? It becomes 100% other's. If you die, your children become strangers. Therefore God tells us 'to sow to the Spirit (v. 8)'. This passage means that we should be the holy instruments of the Spirit of God and also use our money as the Spirit of God wants. My brethren, the life is 80 years at the longest, and 80 years is not a long time. Invest the rest of your life for your eternal life. Do it right now.

 

"And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. (v. 9)" Here we can understand 'not lose heart' as 'not give up'. My brethren, the life led by the Holy Spirit is a life of doing good to God and man. The life of doing good will certainly bring good reward of God to you both on earth and in heaven. Then, what are the specific good deeds we Christians should do? First, to expel sins and to teach people right belongs to the good deed. "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. (v. 1)" My brethren, to drive out the sins from individuals, families, churches and nations is a good deed and the work of the Holy Spirit. Some corrupt people are calling for abolition of adultery and campaigning for human rights of the homosexuals these days. A man of the Holy Spirit campaigns for expelling such dirty thoughts from the heads of individuals and from the national ethics system. He who removes such dirty sins from the society is the one who does good indeed. No matter how much people slander Christianity, the most useful and noble ethics in the world is the ethics the Bible gives us. We must teach and correct those who intentionally commit the dirty sins mentioned in the Bible. Those who stubbornly reject the instruction of the church should be expelled, regardless of lay or clergy. Second, the good deed Christians should do is to bear one another's burdens. "Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (v. 2)" The laity should help the clergy by prayers for them, the clergy should pray to God for the forgiveness of the laity's sins. The rich must give financial help to the poor. The poor can help others by praying to God for them. Perhaps it is worth more for the poor to pray for the rich than for the rich to help the poor with money. Wives can lighten the burdens of the husbands by respecting and comforting them, and husbands should work hard so that the families may not be destitute of anything. Third, the good deed Christians should do is to care about their own work and to bear their own loads. "But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each man will have to bear his own load. (Gal 6: 4-5)" 'Doing your duty' itself is the work for you and others, so it's a good deed. All family are happy when the father bears his burden and the mother bears her burden. A lazy and irresponsible man is wicked. Jesus, too, rebuked the wicked and slothful servant (Mt 25:26). Since all good offices and professions are entrusted by God, it is a good deed, for us to perform them well. Fourth, the good deed Christians should do is to treat the clergy cordially. "Let him who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches. (v. 6)" My brethren, please treat your pastor with all your heart and might. My brethren, you should also know that the pastors of neighboring small churches are servants of God. No one says nothing against you even if you give them generous gifts on holidays or special occasions. If the children of small church pastors seem to have no tuition fees, please help them. Some children of pastors have passed the college entrance examination, but can't enter the colleges because they have no money. Think it to be the matter of your own children! If the pastor of a neighboring church can't pay for the hospital bill, help him financially. God is greatly pleased if you sincerely help those in such situations. Fifth, the good deed that Christians should do is to help other believers. "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (v. 10)" There are some Christians in the church who, concealing their pain, always smile brightly but in serious financial difficulties. If you open your heart and pray to God in order to know whom you should help, God will surely let you know the man you should help. Will the good God not listen to the beautiful prayer, "God, whom shall I help?" You should think of other's pride, so let your left hand not know when your right hand does good to those in trouble. God will be exceedingly pleased to see your good heart and deed. If you help others like that, your children will not be tails but heads, your name will be more and more exalted, and thanks to the holy blessings of heaven and the fruitful blessings of the earth which have come upon you, the cup of your happiness will overflow. That is, the cup of satisfaction and joy in life! If you help others, God will help you, too. My brethren, have pity on the poor and the sick. Have pity on those who are in trouble. And God will be compassionate with you, and help you when you are in difficult situations.

 

You're nobody if you think you're somebody living a good life, when you're not living such a compassionate life. You're making light of God if you believe that you'll be abundantly rewarded in heaven, when you have not lived such a good life. My brethren, do good to others as much as you can.

 

May you glorify God and be abundantly blessed by God by doing a lot of good works.

 

Chong Tack Kim

                               - Dongtoma Sunshine Church -