Probably the worst enemy of enthusiasm is time. Human beings have a remarkable and sad ability to tire of wonderful things. Almost all of you can think of something that excited you recently, but now the joy has faded. Your first day of vacation on the coast, the sunset was breathtaking and made you so happy you could sing. But at the end of your stay you hardly noticed it anymore. Vacationers get tired of sunsets, millionaires get tired of money, children get tired of toys, and Christians get tired of doing good. At first, the excitement of teaching that Sunday School class was strong, but now you’ve grown weary of doing good. The thrill is gone. At first you felt clean and strong in the Holy Spirit as you drove the van, taught English to the Laotians, led the small group, visited the new arrivals, began to read the Bible, worked in the emergency shelter. . . but now you are tired of doing good. The inner power and joy have vanished. It’s a homework. You have lost your heart.
Eternal Life and Death in the Balance
But Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up.” That doesn’t mean, of course, that you can never quit one job and start another. If you ask what is the good to do that we should not tire of, probably the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22ff. is the best answer: don’t tire of being patient and kind and good and faithful and meek and self-controlled. Do not get tired of manifesting your peace and joy in all kinds of acts of love to your neighbor, associates and family. In short, don’t despair of spending yourself for love, because if you do, the deeds of the flesh take over, and Paul says in 5:21, “Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom.” “Or, as Paul says in 6:8, if you stop sowing to the Spirit and sow to your own flesh, you will not reap eternal life, but eternal corruption.
This is very controversial. let it sink What is at stake in this text is eternal life; not merely sanctification, but also final salvation. Whether you go to heaven or hell depends in some way on whether or not you get tired of doing good. The text is addressed to the church. Listen closely and notice how the thought moves from verse 8 to verse 9: “He who sows to his own flesh will of the flesh reap corruption; But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not get tired (therefore!) of doing good, because in due time we will reap, if we do not lose heart.” You will reap eternal life if you sow to the Spirit, that is, if you don’t get tired of doing good. From texts like these I understand that my role as pastor-teacher is not simply a means to your sanctification, but also a means to your salvation. This text is written to help lead the Galatian saints to final salvation, eternal life. Therefore, a sermon from this text to the saints in Bethlehem must also be aimed at helping them lead to final salvation or eternal life.
This view of preaching is widely rejected both in our Conference and throughout evangelicalism and fundamentalism. I received a letter last year from a retired Conference pastor that ended thus: “In conclusion: We find, then, that the ministry of a pastor is limited to the state of the believer and not to his position. Therefore, our security and deliverance from the penal consequences of sin have nothing to do with the preaching of a pastor.” Against this extremely generalized view of preaching, I appeal to your own understanding of Galatians 6:8 and 9. Should I, as your pastor-teacher, convey Paul’s message to you? Galatian churches? Isn’t the “corruption” of verse 8 the ultimate penal consequence of sin? Isn’t “eternal life” in verse 8 freedom from this consequence of sin? does it depend in some way on whether we sow to the Spirit and do not grow weary in doing good? And if so, shouldn’t a pastor believe that his message of this text can be the divinely appointed means of causing God’s children to persevere? to the end in doing good and thus inherit eternal life?
My goal in life is to be a faithful teacher of the Word of God for the good of his people and the glory of his name. I don’t see how I could be true to this text and not tell you that if you get tired of doing good and get discouraged, you will not reap eternal life. If you abandon the Spirit and trust in the flesh, you will reap corruption. (Cf. Romans 8:13.)
Bearing the financial burden of teachers
That is what is at stake here. Now let’s follow Paul’s thought as it unfolds from verse 6. Remember that in verse 2 he had said, “Bear one another’s burdens.” Verse 6 seems to give another example of carrying a burden, namely the financial burden of Christian teachers. “Whoever is taught the word, let him share all good things with the one he teaches him.” One way to carry the burdens of those who have important teaching responsibilities in the church is to support them financially so that they can be free for prayer and study. Evidently there was some problem with this in Galatia. Perhaps they had gotten off to a good start, and now they were getting tired of doing the good, the good doing of supporting the teaching elders of the church. Perhaps some were arguing that they are free in Christ and can use their money for other things. “Who needs teaching, anyway? We know enough of the truth. Money is tight; these are hard times. We don’t know what they were saying, but we do know that of all the burdens Paul could have mentioned, he chose to mention the material burden of those who teach the Word of God.
He had learned the principle from Jesus. When Jesus sent out the 70 to preach, he told them not to take their own food because “the worker deserves his wages.” Paul picks this up at 1 Timothy 5:17, 18: “Let the elders ruling well be reckoned worthy of double honor, especially those working in preaching and teaching; for the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it threshes,’ and, ‘A laborer deserves his wages.'” Probably the closest parallel to Galatians 6:6 is 1 Corinthians 9:11, where Paul says, “If we sow spiritual good among you, is it too much if we reap your material benefits?”
The Ministry of the Word and Giving
I see four implications of Galatians 6:6 that I want to mention briefly. First, the teaching of the Word of God is essential in the church. We will not know the Lord as we should if we walk without sound teaching. Worship will become perfunctory, affections will become effervescent, and obedience will languish where the full counsel of God is not taught. Paul considered it essential.
SecondThose who have the primary responsibility for teaching need freedom to study, meditate, and pray. Finding the meaning of biblical texts, discovering how that meaning fits with the whole of revelation, and seeing its relationship to contemporary life week after week is a glorious calling, but it takes a lot of time and effort. One of the things that makes me happy with my ministry at Bethlehem is that most of you know this and spare me the time I need to study. Just so you know, in general, I dedicate Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings to prayer, study, and meditation. Then, all day Friday and Saturday I prepare for the two messages on Sunday. There are unavoidable interruptions due to crisis situations (like weddings!). That’s fine. I just thank God for his support in the role I have to play in this church.
Third, it follows that pastor-teachers should be paid so they don’t have to do other work to support themselves. Some, like Paul, may waive this right, but those who are taught the Word must be eager to free their teachers financially. And for that I thank you too!
Fourth, when you give of your money to support the teaching ministry, you are fulfilling the law of Christ according to verse 2 (helping to carry the teacher’s burden) , and you do not tire of doing good (according to verse 9), but you cling to eternal life. So when Paul says in verses 9 and 10 that we should not tire of doing good and that we should do good to everyone, especially to those in the family of faith, he has in mind at least the use of our money to support those who teach us the Word of God.
They don’t mock God
Verse 7 now comes in to reinforce the command of verse 6. “Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Evidently the people who did not want to share their wealth with the church teachers had fallen prey to some deception and were in effect mocking God by doing it, perhaps saying, “For freedom Christ has made us free. You who deny yourselves the good things and pay to hear the Word of God are acting like Old Testament legalists.” So, in the name of freedom, they had begun to indulge their flesh (contrary to the warning of 5:13). And what is worse, they were treating the Word of God with contempt. God is mocked when his messengers are treated with derision (2 Chronicles 36:15, 16).
But the text says: “God is not mocked.” What does that mean? It means the same thing that a good father means when he says to his son: “I will not allow you to speak to me in that tone of voice!” I mean, you’ll deeply regret using that tone of voice. Or, as Paul says, you will reap what you sow. “God cannot be mocked” means: if you treat his Word with contempt by not supporting the ministry of the Word, you will deeply repent. And, “Don’t be fooled!” he says. There is always a time lag between sowing and harvesting. It is possible that he may deceive himself for a time that the sowing of selfishness will actually produce more joy than the sowing of sacrifice because of the Word of God. But you are completely wrong: “God cannot be mocked!” Your disregard for his Word and your use of his trust fund for personal indulgences will come back on your head like an avalanche.
“Where have you been?” Elisha said to Gehazi his servant. “Have you not run after Namaan for money? Are you not more greedy to fill your pockets with gold than to magnify the God of Israel? Behold, Namaan’s leprosy will stick to you and your offspring forever. God is not Your greed has come back upon your own head (Cf. 2 Kings 5:25-27.) Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
“Where is your…