In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of living a disciplined life in order to stand before God without regret. He highlights the dangers of laziness and warns against neglecting prayer, fasting, preaching, and witnessing. The preacher also emphasizes the need for discipline in raising children. He uses the example of a farmer patiently waiting for the harvest as a metaphor for believers patiently waiting for the return of Jesus Christ. The sermon concludes with a reminder to endure suffering and to take the prophets and the example of Job as models of perseverance.

Turn with me, if you would, please, to Galatians, chapter six. Galatians, chapter six, we will reap what we sow, we will reap what we sow, and that could be devastating or it can be eternally rewarding, depending on how we sow. Galatians, chapter six, and let's begin in verse seven. 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. And. 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. Father, I believe with all my heart you've given me this message and I'm asking you to deliver it, Holy Spirit, through this vessel in Jesus name. Amen. You will reap what you sow, my brothers and sisters. Every single one of us will reap what we sow. It applies to us all. No one is an exception because that is a law, a spiritual law that God has established, just as it just like there is a law of gravity. If I jump up on this altar and jump off, none of us have to wonder if I'll go up or down. We all know I'm going down and that goes for me as well as you. If we all were to line up one by one and stand up on the altar and jump off, it doesn't matter. It makes no difference, I should say, if you're saved or lost, if you're a believer or an unbeliever, if you're big or tall or short or small or fat or skinny or smarter. Something else doesn't matter when you jump off, you're going down. Why? Because God has established a natural law called the law of gravity. What goes up in this natural world will come down. And there is a spiritual law that God has established in the same way that none of us is an exception to. It applies to all of us, every single one. If you're saved this morning, it applies to you. If you're lost this morning, it applies to you. It makes no difference when none of us is an exception. What you reap, you will sow later than you sow. And more than you sow, but you will reap what you sow. That is what God has established. And anybody who considers himself to be an exception to that is tragically deceived. That is why God says in verse seven, do not be deceived. Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, he shall reap more than you sow later than you sow. But you will reap what you've sown because God is not mocked. In other words, no one can fool God. No one can get one over on God. A fool may laugh now, but they will not laugh forever. A deceived sinner may think, oh, I got away with that one. Oh, I'm glad he didn't find out or glad she didn't find out like a criminal that has committed some crime and says, oh, man, I'm glad the law didn't catch me that time. Glad they didn't see it. Well, someone saw it. God saw it. And God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, he shall reap. And the Scripture is true in Numbers 32, verse 23. Be sure your sin will find you out. There is coming a day, payday someday, judgment day is a real day, and there may be a time lapse because God is patient, waiting for every sinner to repent. But God will not be mocked. What you sow, you shall reap. That can be eternally rewarding or unspeakably devastating. It all depends upon how we sow. That is, to what are we sowing? And there's two types of sowers here that we read in our text. There's one who sows to the flesh and of the flesh they will reap corruption. There's another one who sows to the spirit and of the spirit they will reap everlasting life. Now. I take no pleasure in preaching things like what the Lord's had me preach first, and that is the one who sows to the flesh is a part of me that wants to fast forward that one. And let's talk about sowing to the spirit. But I must preach the whole counsel of God's word and the Lord has given us both here. And I want to speak to you about both. First of all, the one who sows to the flesh, the one who sows to the flesh, the scripture says here will of the flesh reap corruption. Now, what is the flesh? The flesh is not these bodies, it's not my hand, it's not my skin, it's not my eyes, my nose, my hair. The flesh is that sinful nature that every single one of us was born with. There's a sinful nature that we all inherited from Adam because of the fall. And that's why none of us have to be taught to sin. It's the sinful nature. The flesh is bent towards rebellion against God. It does not want to bend the knee to God. It resists. It rejects the word of God. It is an evil, sinful nature. And there's only one answer for it, and that is crucifixion. Now, we don't have to wonder what the works of the flesh are. Look at with me, if you will, in chapter five, verse 19. He says very clearly the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambition, 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. The works of the flesh he he categorizes or he classifies in about four or five categories of sin. The first ones he mentions are sins of of immorality, sexual sin, lust, adultery, which violates the most sacred ties and union between a husband and a wife, fornication, which defiles the body, uncleanness, secret sins not known to others but fully known to God, lewdness, loose, sensual living. And then the second category he mentions is idolatry, that is, putting anything or anyone before God, loving anything or fearing anything more than God before God. The next one he mentions is sorcery. What does that include? Magic, yoga. Listen, a lot of people won't address this yoga, horoscopes, magic, twilight, Harry Potter. Curiosity, there's this increasing, growing curiosity among young people into the occult, witchcraft, this other spiritual realm and dimension. I tell you, my brothers and sisters and my friends, that is an abomination to God. It is a work of the flesh, an evil work of the flesh, and you must be aware of it and repent of it and flee from it because it is abomination to God. Then there are these relationship sins, these relationship works of the flesh that if we sow to these things, if that is if we yield to them, we will surely reap corruption. What are they? He says in verse 20, hatred. Hatred, having any kind of hatred in my heart toward another contentions, jealousies, being jealous of one another, contentions, having division, outburst of wrath, losing our temper, being angry and losing our temper, selfish ambitions that is seeking our own in the relationships. Remember, love never seeks its own dissensions, its factions, again, divisions, heresies, envy, murders, which is really harboring hatred, poison, bitterness in my heart. Those things defile and that's that those are works of the flesh. And then he includes drunkenness, revelries, which I say also involves any kind of substance abuse or indulgence, even overeating, gluttony. All of that is a work of the flesh. And these are all works of the flesh that God mentions. And he makes it very clear in the last of verse 21 that those who practice and that's the key word, those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived to think that you can continue to practice such sins and say, well, but praise God, I'm a Christian. Those who practice continue in such sin shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived what you sow, you will reap. First Corinthians, chapter six, verse nine, the Lord says it again so very clearly, do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornication, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived what you sow, you will reap. And yet someone says, well, he's just a teenager, let him sow his wild oats. And I want to shout from the word of God, no, no, because if he sows his wild oats, he will be sure to reap destruction, corruption. If she does, if he does, they will reap the devastating consequences and there are devastating consequences from sowing to the flesh. Ask the young man who forever lives with the guilt and regret of leaving a party drunk. He's driving drunk down the highway, carelessly drives drunk and crashes into another car and takes the life of someone else who is innocent in all of it. Are you glad you sowed your wild oats? No, he lives with regret, horrible regret and shame, if there's any conviction at all. What you sow, you shall reap. What you sow, you shall reap. Ask the lonely man with nothing left of his marriage, but pictures hanging on the wall of happy days gone by forever, his marriage destroyed because of the adultery that he committed. Someone once said to me, come on, Brian, come on, it's OK to look so long as you don't touch. Is that what the word of God says? What you sow, you shall reap. Ask that man if it's OK to look so long as you don't touch. Ask the adulterer who now sits in a dark, empty, lonely house where happy children used to play, but they play there no more. It all just started with the look. Be not deceived. God is not mocked for whatsoever man sows, that shall he also reap. Someone says, come on, it's not wrong to drink just so long as you don't get drunk. It's just one drink. It's just one hit, one pill, one party, one look. And I want to say, especially to young people, and maybe I have a sense someone even listening to this message online, how I wish, how I wish, how I long to take young people, young men, young women come with me and see what I've seen, sit beside the hospital bed or the bedside of of of an addict who is sweating profusely, who is vomiting his guts up, who has diarrhea everywhere, who's shaking because he hasn't had a drink, who's trying to kick the alcohol, the heroin, the meth, and that you could only see the shattered lives, the broken families, the wasted years, the confused minds that you could see and know that whatever a man sows, he will be sure to reap. God is not mocked whatsoever. Man sows that she'll also reap. See that old man, see that old woman who wasted a whole lifetime on selfish living, selfish ambition, living for themselves, whose only pursuit was more, more and more and more for me, more money, more land, more business deals, more cars, bigger houses, better promotions. And he had no time for his family. He had no time for God. Who needs God? He says, look at what I've built with my own hands, with my own intellect. Look at it all. Now he grows old and his children despise him. She only lived for herself and now she dies by herself. And now they just like you and me will have an appointment one day that they cannot escape. It is an appointment called Judgment Day and no one is an exception. There is a day when everything, when you will reap, every single person will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. And you ask that man, is it true? What's whatsoever man sows that shall he also reap? There's a man who stands with deep regret, deep regret. And I don't want to just talk about him, brothers and sisters. I want to talk about me and you, because the Bible says very clearly in Second Corinthians, chapter five, Christians, believers. This involves us. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. No one is an exception. No, no one is an exception. There will be a reaping day. What you have sowed, you will reap. You will give an account to what you've done in this body, whether it be good or bad. You were not saved by those works. Not at all. You're saved by the grace of God. You're saved by the blood of Jesus. But you were saved unto good works. And what do you do with this scripture? Just throw it out or take it. Let it hit us in the heart. Let us let it let it bend us. Let it grip us. You and I must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account to the Lord of the deeds done in the body, whether it be good or bad. There will be a judgment day. There will be a day of reckoning. You and I will stand before the Lord. And it's time that will be a time to reap exactly what you've sown. I always think of this poem, one of my favorite poem writers, I've shared many of her poems from the pulpit, Martha Snell Nicholson. But listen to this one. Listen carefully. When I because I want to ask you, if right now you were to appear before the judgment seat of Christ, would it be with rejoicing or with regret? Right now, we should all have a dress rehearsal. We should all have like they have a wedding rehearsal. And you go through the motions of what is sure to come. Follow me to the judgment seat of Christ. One day you will stand there. One day I will stand there, she says, when I stand at the judgment seat of Christ and he shows me his plan for me, the plan of my life, as it might have been, had he had his way and I see how I blocked him here and I checked him there and I would not yield my will. Will there be grief in my savior's eyes? Grief, though he loves me still. He would have me rich and I stand there poor, stripped of all but his grace, while memory runs like a hunted thing down the paths I cannot retrace. Then my desolate heart will not break with the tears that I cannot shed. I shall cover my face with empty hands. I shall bow my uncrowned head. Lord of the years that are left to me, I give them to thy hand. Take me and break me and mold me to the pattern that thou hast planned. You see, this is the good news, brothers and sisters. There is a way there is a way to come to the end of our life and to stand before the presence of God with rejoicing instead of regret. There is a way. Thanks be to God that you and I are alive right now and have the grace and the mercy to hear such a message, to wake us up if need be. There is a way to stand before the Lord one day without regret, but with rejoicing. And that way is through Jesus Christ. It's only through Jesus Christ. It's through Jesus that we learn not to sow to the flesh, but to the spirit. And today is the day to start. Today is the day to start plowing up the hard ground. How do you do that? You repent. You recognize every work of the flesh, every deed of the flesh, every time I've yielded to the flesh, to this sinful nature. And you confess it is sin. And you repent and you run to the blood of Jesus for mercy. And you say this day, Lord, teach me now to sow not to the flesh, but to the spirit. Today's the day you begin. Today's the day we start. Now is the time to sow to the spirit. So what about those who sow to the spirit? Look at with me, if you will, in the text, verse eight, 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, everlasting life. When a farmer sows his seed, he's sure to reap what he sowed, but he will not reap exactly what he put in the ground. He put apple seeds in the ground. He doesn't sow a bunch of apple seeds. I mean, he doesn't reap a bunch of apple seeds, he reaps apples with seeds in them. Doesn't look the same. You sow seed, you reap fruit. That's what the farmer does when you and I sow to the spirit, we reap. The fruit of the spirit and what is the fruit of the spirit, Galatians, chapter five. Galatians, chapter five and verse twenty two, but the fruit of the spirit is love. Don't you want to reap that joy? Don't you want to reap that peace, long suffering, patience? That's something I don't have naturally. Patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control against such. There is no law. All of these beautiful fruits of the spirit, where do they come from? They come forth from those who have sown to the spirit. It is a work of the spirit. It is a work of God within us, and it happens to those who have sown to the spirit. So how do we sow to the spirit? We must walk in the spirit. Look at what he says in verse twenty five. If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. Before that, he says, those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. No longer do I want to sow to you flesh. No longer do I want to feed you. No longer do I want to have anything to do with you because to have anything to do with you is to reap corruption and devastating consequences. There's one answer for you, flesh crucifixion. And Jesus has done it for me on the cross. And I reckon it so by faith in him and what he's already done for me that when he died, I died. And this flesh stays dead by never feeding it again. Don't yield to it. Don't obey it, reject it, ignore it and replace it with sowing to the spirit. How do you do that? You walk in the spirit. What does that mean? I want to give you about four, four or five words that you can jot down to remember. OK, the first one is this devotion, devotion to God, brother Ray. You've really already preached this from the from the communion table. But I want to just echo really what he said, this devotion to God, to walk in the spirit is a life of love and devotion to God. It's a devotion and communion with the one who lives inside of me, the Holy Spirit. The Bible says when we come to Christ comes to indwell us, as he already said, the one who made heaven and earth, all the universe and everything that there is that has been made, this almighty God comes. The Lord Jesus Christ comes in the person of his Holy Spirit to live in me, to live in you. How do you walk in the spirit? First and foremost, by having devotion to God, love to God. What does that look like? As he said. Even during the day, Lord, thank you for your presence, Lord, you live in me, Lord, give me strength. What is devotion to God? It's prayer. It's communion with God. It's walking with God. It's soaking in his holy word. It's time alone with God in prayer. It's pushing everything else out and making room for his presence. Devotion to God, a love relationship with God, such a life will always bear fruit, such a life will always reap a harvest of everlasting life. But I want to ask you, what is everlasting life? What is the definition of eternal life? Is that only going to heaven when you die? Is that what everlasting life is? Well, I'm going to heaven when I die. It's so much more than that. Brothers and sisters, listen to the definition of our Lord Jesus Christ himself. His definition of everlasting life, John 17, verse three, and this is eternal life. What? That you may know him. The only true God and Jesus Christ, whom he is sent, what is eternal life? Having this knowledge, not a head knowledge, but a love relationship, this intimacy with God, devotion to God, knowing God, that is everlasting life. And you sow to the spirit every time you love God that way, every time that you spend time alone with God in prayer and his word, you're sowing to the spirit and you're reaping everlasting life, which is what knowing God more, the more you talk to him, the more you know him, the more you pray, the more you meditate upon his word, the more you listen to it, the more you abide in him, you're growing closer to him every day, you're reaping everlasting life, which is to know him. And we will either be devoted to God or we'll be devoted to the flesh, we cannot be devoted to this both at the same time, one or the other devotion to God, devotion to God. But Amos 3 3 says, can two walk together unless they are agreed? If devotion to God is walking in the spirit, can two walk together except they be agreed? If the Holy Spirit says, I'm leading you this way and I say, I want to go that way. There's a break, there's a break in devotion, and here's your next word. Diligent, obedience, diligent, you must be diligent to obey the Lord when he says this is the way we don't say, I want to go that way. We say, yes, Lord, can two walk together except they be agreed to walk with the Holy Spirit is to obey his every prompting when he speaks, we obey, we obey any prompting and leading of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit speaks to us the word of God. We obey the commands of Christ. We obey the word of God. Diligent to obey every time you obey the spirit of the Lord, you sow to the spirit. That's how you sow to the spirit. Every time you obey the Holy Spirit, you are sowing to the spirit and you will reap what the fruit of the spirit, you will reap what everlasting life, which is to know God more, to know him intimately. When you sow to the spirit, you will reap the fruit of everlasting life. Now, let's make this practical. Luke chapter six, we could go so many places, but here are some practical commands from our Lord Jesus. And you and I have a choice to make, will I obey the spirit of the Lord? Who speaks speaks to me the word of the Lord. And therefore, so to the spirit and reap a harvest. Or will I reject his word and so to the flesh, you have a choice and I have a choice. Luke chapter six. Follow me, verse thirty six. Let's back up to verse thirty five, Jesus says in verse thirty five. But love your enemies, that's a command, love your enemies, do good and lend, hoping for nothing in return and your reward will be great. You see this. This is the sowing. Love your enemies. You're sowing to the spirit. Do good to all you're sowing to the spirit, lend, hoping for nothing in return. You're sowing. Now's the reaping, your reward will be great, you will be sons of the most high. What you've sown, you shall reap. For he is kind to the unthankful and evil, therefore be merciful, just as your father also is merciful, judge not and you shall not be judged, condemn not and you shall not be condemned, forgive and you will be forgiven, give and it will be given to you. And here's the here's the reaping, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over will be put into your bosom. With the same measure that you use will be measured back to you again, you will sow. What you sow, you will reap and you will reap more than you have sown every single time. The farmer put in a grain of wheat, he got a whole head of wheat. You sow forgiveness and you reap what? Forgiveness. You sow mercy and you reap mercy. Blessed are the merciful, Jesus said, for they shall receive or obtain mercy, forgive and you will be forgiven. But if you do not forgive, you will not be forgiven. Those are the words of Christ. And it's it's not that we're sowing mercy to get mercy as children of God. We sow mercy because we've already received mercy. We sow love and forgiveness and mercy and grace because we've already received that abundantly from God. And so there's this endless cycle. I've received so much from God. I must give it to my brother and my sister. I must even give it to my enemy, love my enemies. And as I do that, you can't ever get out. Give God you've sown some more. You're reaping more. Your heart is enlarged. You found it difficult to forgive that person. But as you continue to obey the Lord, now your heart is enlarged and you're forgiving all those people. You found it difficult to show mercy there. You obeyed God. You sowed. He enlarged your heart. Now you're showing mercy and love and grace to even more. That is a law you will reap what you have sown more than you sow more so much, abundantly more than you sow. Here's another example. Jesus Christ has given us two great commissions. Preach the gospel to every creature and he that believes in his baptized shall be saved. He that does not believe shall be damned. That's our command. Go preach the gospel, witness to the law, share the gospel with the law. That's a command from the Lord. Every time you obey that command, you sow to the spirit. The other commission is go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything that I've commanded you and baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Every listen, when you disciple someone, you're sowing, you're pouring out, you're sowing into their little lives. These little children sow into their lives. When you sow into their lives, when you sow into that lost person's life, you will reap. If you do not lose heart, you will reap what you sow, you shall reap. Here's an example of it in Scripture. Psalm 126, you have to look at this one with me. Psalm 126, beautiful, beautiful scripture. About sowing and reaping Psalm 126, when the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream that our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue was singing. Then they said among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us and we are glad. Bring back our captivity. Oh, Lord, as the streams in the south, listen to this. Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. You said I thought you said what you sow, you will reap exactly what you've sown. Yes, but it doesn't look exactly the same. You sowed an apple seed. You got a big tree full of fruit here. You've sown in tears. What kind of tears? Tears for the lost, weeping for the lost, praying for the lost, pouring your heart and soul out for the lost. That's the weeping. That's sowing that goes on, shall always result in reaping in joy. Even if it has to be when I see his face in heaven, there will be a harvest time. God is not mocked. And I'll guarantee you, he sees every single missionary in that 1040 window that has not seen a single soul come to Christ even in 10, 12 months. But they're preaching, they're praying, they're weeping and they're faithful to the call. You cannot gauge success by numbers, those numbers that are coming to Christ. There have been faithful missionaries that had poured out blood, sweat and tears and prayed and fasted and were faithful to preach the gospel and never saw one convert for three years. And then all of a sudden, God said, harvest time. There have been certain ones that who witnessed for years, day in, day out, and never got to see a single convert. But I'll tell you one day when they stand before the presence of the Lord, I can only imagine the Lord saying, see him, see her. All these seeds that you sowed, this weeping, the prayer, the preaching of the gospel. There has been a harvest. There will be a harvest. God is faithful. He will not be mocked. What you sow, you shall reap. And those who have sown in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing. What is that seed? It's the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's the word of God. Those who do that, who sow that seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing. In other words, it will happen. They will doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. So I simply ask you, have we obeyed that commandment? Have we been diligent to obey that commandment to share the gospel with the lost? And listen, if you're a Christian, you can find at least one person who is younger in the faith than you. Who are you discipling? Who have you taken under your arm? Who have you said? Can we meet this week? Can can we go out for breakfast? Can can I come over? Will you come over? Who are you pouring into? Brother and sister, that's how you sow to the spirit. There ought to be at least one, at least one person that you're pouring into right now. So in the spirit and you will reap everlasting life, that's the word of God. It takes devotion to Christ. It takes diligent obedience. And thirdly, we must discipline. We must discipline our bodies. That means we discipline our bodies to pray when the body doesn't want to pray. We discipline ourselves to go when you don't want to go disciplined to fast when you don't want to fast, disciplined to obey when you don't want to obey. It's easy to grow weeds. I'm very good at growing weeds in my front yard. It's embarrassing if you drive down Meadow Drive in Bartlesville and you see the yard with the most weeds. That's Brother Brines. I told Martha today, call somebody this week and have them bring by some spray to get rid of those weeds. How do you grow weeds? You simply do nothing. You do nothing. It's easy to grow weed. It's easy to reap corruption from the flesh. All you have to do is nothing, do nothing, and you'll be sure to sow to the flesh and reap corruption. It takes discipline, devotion, diligent obedience to the Lord. So Proverbs chapter 24, listen to this, the spiritual spiritually lazy. Well, not so to the spirit, Proverbs chapter 24 and verse 30, I went by the field of the lazy man and by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding. And there it was all overgrown with thorns. Its surface was covered with nettles. Its stone wall was broken down. When I saw it, I considered it. Well, I looked on it and received instruction, a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and so shall poverty come upon you like a bandit and scarcity, like an armed man. The lazy. The lazy who have not disciplined themselves to pray, to go to fast, to preach, to witness, to be poured out for the sake of others, weeds will grow up very quickly. There's many warnings in Proverbs about laziness. Proverbs 20, verse four. The lazy man will not plow because of winter, he will beg during harvest and have nothing. That's why Paul said in first Corinthians nine twenty seven, but I discipline my body and I bring it into subjection, that's when I preach to others, I myself should become disqualified. He said in second Timothy two, six, the hard working farmer must be first to partake of the crops. We must discipline our bodies. And can I say also from Proverbs brothers and sisters, not only must you discipline your body, you need to discipline your children. I need to discipline my children. You know what happens to a child left undisciplined? The Bible says they will bring shame to their mother. He who loves his child will discipline his child. That's the one that uses the rod of correction. They will discipline their child. That's a child left to himself. I tell you, I've seen it over and over and over again. A child that is always bailed out, always made excuse for, never had to suffer any consequences, never had a good on his hind end when he needed it. Will grow up a big, spoiled, selfish, rebellious child. You must discipline your child, you must discipline your children, we must discipline our bodies, not to do so as to let the weeds grow up and you will be sure to reap corruption. Wouldn't it be wonderful to come to the end of our life? And this is only by the grace of God. All of this is by the grace of God. But John, the apostle, said in third John. Oh, how he said the great joy, what joy it brought him. He said, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Oh, that we could come to the end of our lives and say that I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. I know every child has to make their own decision. Don't get me wrong. But I also know there's there's a connection. Is there not? We can't ignore the commands that if you do not discipline your children, you let them go like a wild horse wherever they want to go. They'll remain an unbroken horse and they'll do damage to themselves and other people as well. Discipline your body, discipline your child, devotion to Christ, diligent obedience, discipline our bodies, discipline our children in love and always in love. And there's one more here. Galatians chapter six. Look at it with me. Galatians chapter six in the ninth verse, he says, and let us. Not grow weary while doing good. We're called to do good, doing good for in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart. And who are we to do good to? Verse 10. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who have the household of faith. Do good to all and never stop and especially do good to your family of God who is right now sitting in front of you and behind you and to the right and left of you. Do good, especially, especially to your brothers and sisters in Christ for in doing good to one another. We sow to the spirit and you will surely reap what you sow. You know what the harvest will be. Here's part of it. A church will be built. When God's people love one another. They sow into each other's life, mercy, grace, forgiveness. Even correction when necessary, reprove, love me enough to reprove, to correct. I hope I love you enough to reprove, to correct, but to always breathe grace and you're sowing into the lives of your brothers and sisters. Here's one of the fruits. A church will be built for the glory of God, a body of Christ, for the glory of God. Do good to all and never stop. That's another command here. This doing good to all and to one another, he says, let us not grow weary. Don't stop when you feel like you're the only one pouring out and no one else is keep pouring out. Don't grow weary in doing good for in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart. I'm going to close with this scripture, James, chapter five. Look at this one with me, James, chapter five, therefore, verse seven, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer here uses the farmer again as an illustration, see how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. My brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed, we count them blessed to endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful, just like that farmer is waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting for the rain, waiting for that harvest day, that time of harvest. So you and I must wait patiently till the end until Jesus Christ comes to get us again. And here's here, it's amazing how specific God's word is. He knows that our tendency is to grow weary. And when we grow weary, we're prone to grumble when you get tired. This isn't that way in the natural. When we get tired, we're kept up all night. We're grouchy. We're prone to grumble against one another. When you persevere, you persevere, you persevere in this Christian life and you're hit with storm after storm, after storm, after storm, you get tired, you grow weary. And here's the here's the danger at that moment when I'm tired and I'm weary, my patience has grown so thin I'm prone to grumble. I'm prone to lash out against my brother or my sister. That's why he says in the context of all of this waiting and persevering. Verse nine, do not grumble against one another. Brethren, lest you be condemned, behold, the judge is standing at the door. Remember, you're going to stand before him, Jesus, the judge, the righteous judge. My brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as example of suffering and patience. Indeed, we count them blessed who endured. You've heard of the what of Job? Perseverance, it means perseverance. You've heard of the perseverance of Job. What if Job would have taken the counsel of his wife and cursed God and died because he was going through such a trial? What good is it if you've plowed the field, you've sown the seed, you've waited for the rain, but then you gave up, you lost heart and you abandoned the field? You will not reap a harvest. What good is it to begin the race you ran well, you ran fast, you ran diligently, you kept your eyes on the prize, but you stopped and you quit before you got to the finish line. We will reap a harvest if we do not lose heart. You don't quit. The only way you lose is to quit. Abandon your mission. Turn your eyes away from Christ and your back on him and abandon the field and abandon the race. Are you sure not to reap the harvest? If we endure to the end. Jesus Christ will build his church, he will have a bride and you and I will reap in joy if we do not lose heart. Let us persevere, let us endure to the end. Let us devote ourselves fully to God, be diligent to obey his every word, discipline your body, discipline your children, do good to one another, never get tired of it, never grow weary in doing good to one another. Stay with the field, stay in the race, stay in the fight, endure to the end, because those who sow in tears will reap in joy. You will reap what you sow. Amen. Let's stand, Father, as we quiet our hearts before you or we bow our heads before you, the one who sees and knows all things. Your word is true. Your laws are perfect. And it applies to each and every single one of us, none of us is an exception. Lord, I tremble to think about reaping corruption that come from sowing in the flesh and what gives me such great joy this morning. That you're such an incredible God of new beginnings. Right here and now, Lord, you can plow up the field of our hearts, hearts that have grown up weeds and thorns and nettles, you can plow it up because you're a merciful God. You're a God who is so patient and consistent and constant and faithful. And my prayer today, Father, is that you would somehow allow us. A glimpse, oh, God. To our hearts and where we stand before you. Are there weeds? Are there works of the flesh that need to be pulled up by the roots today? Then, Father, please bring us to that place of confession and repentance. To come to you, Lord Jesus, to allow you to run the plow of your word and the power of your Holy Spirit through our hearts and to break up the hardness, the deception, the fallow ground, the roots of pride, of bitterness, of anything there that doesn't belong, Lord Jesus, that is unbecoming of who you are and who we are as your children. Plow it up, Lord, root it out, I pray today and I pray today, God, that we take diligent heed to what you've spoken to us, that devotion to you, Lord God, is everything. And I also ask you, Lord, to help us to obey, help us to take seriously your word, to discipline ourselves, help us to persevere. Some are tired, many are weary, but you are faithful and we ask you to rule and reign in our hearts. And I'm asking you today, Father, based upon the promise of your word, that for any and all who will repent and come running to you, you will grant them a season of refreshing starting today. Would you do it, Father, in your mercy? Would you give us that refreshing that comes from your spirit, that new beginning? Would you grip our hearts and our minds as we leave this place today, Lord, to on purpose so to the spirit? I pray that we'd be so in love with you, Jesus, and so full of your spirit. We're not even really mindful of or aware of it. We're just devoted to you. We're just obeying you. We're just loving you and loving one another. And in doing so, we're sowing through the spirit without even striving or thinking about it. It's your work, Lord. We must surrender to you. And that's my prayer today. That's my prayer, Lord. I surrender my heart to you to make full room for you, Lord Jesus. Deal with us, Lord, meet with us in your mercy, change us by your grace, conform us to the likeness of your son is our prayer in Jesus Christ. Name above all names. Amen.