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I've had the privilege of doing a few
memorials for people I didn't know.

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One of them stands out.

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His name was David.

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And, um,

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I wrote my sermon, as I typically
did, and prepared my notes.

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I interviewed the family to understand
who the man was, and to really, to

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get, put my best foot forward, and
to honor his life, and to honor

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his family preaching the sermon.

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But as I sat there listening to the
countless number of people that went

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through the podium to eulogize his life, I
noticed a repeated refrain about the man.

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They kept on saying, he's a good man,
he was a good man, he was a good man.

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Now, I've listened to enough memorials
to understand that sometimes people

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say things, uh, especially at a
memorial, they're not going to say

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like, oh, he never took out the
trash, he was a slob, and he farted

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in the car and rolled up the windows.

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People will

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typically say nice things at memorials,
but what was evident about this

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particular man is that these guys
really meant what they were saying

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about him because they were They
weren't trying to airbrush his flaws.

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They talked about him being a
broken man and having addictions

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that he wrestled through his
entire life, although they never

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specified what those addictions were.

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They continued to return to this
concept of he was a good man.

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Few of, uh, the men that went up
to the podium to eulogize him, uh,

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playfully, but all meaningfully,
fought to be his best friend.

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Oh, I remember one guy saying,
I'm really his best friend.

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That last guy, not really, and
I'm really his best friend.

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David was a good guy.

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And so they would talk about him.

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They fought, they fought
over him and fought for him.

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David was a good man.

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I don't know about you, but I
think about my death quite a bit.

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And here's the reality for all of
us, whether it's in 50 years, 70

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years, or whether it's in 70 minutes.

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Soon enough, all of us are going
to meet our maker and then your

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life's going to be eulogized.

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Your family's going to come up and
say words about you, hopefully.

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Your friends are going to eulogize you
and, and they're going to say things

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about you and they're going to share
life stories about you and I'm pretty

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sure one of the things that you're going
to want your family and friends to say

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about you is that he was a good man.

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He was a good man.

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And to mean it, not just to say
things that they think are going to

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be, you know, helpful platitudes.

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They want to say about your life.

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You were a good man, and I'm
sure that it resonates with you

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to say, I want to finish well.

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Whenever my time is, whenever the
bell rings, whenever the horn blows,

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I want to be ready for that time,
and I want to be called a good man.

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How can you be sure to
leave a legacy like that?

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How can you guarantee that your life
right now is prepared to end it in

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such a way that you can be confident
people will say he's a good man?

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Now, in your mind, you're
probably thinking, well, I

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want to be called a godly man.

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That's what I really want.

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And really, those terms are synonymous.

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As we look at scripture this morning,
we're going to see that living a good

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life, bearing the fruit of goodness isn't
something accidental or happenstance.

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It's the result of careful cultivation
over the life of your, the life that

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God has given you, day in and day out.

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What God wants us to do is to
bear fruit, the fruit of goodness.

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And the way that we bear the fruit
of goodness is by eagerly and

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persistently sowing seeds of goodness.

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And God gives us a promise.

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You're going to reap what you sow.

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You want a good life.

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You gotta sow good seeds.

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You want a glorious ending where the
king welcomes you in and says, Well

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done, good and faithful servant.

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You gotta be doing something today
that feeds that very end, because

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you're gonna reap what you sow.

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Not gonna stumble into a good life.

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Not gonna happen by accident.

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You're gonna have to sow into it.

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The concept of sowing.

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The Bible talks about this idea of sowing.

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We're not agricultural, most
of us, although we live near

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farms and what have you.

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Sowing is the concept of putting seed
into the ground, Letting, letting it

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do its thing and then waiting for the
harvest to come, whether it's fruit or

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whether it's grain or something else.

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That's what God wants
us to do this morning.

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We're going to look at
Galatians chapter five and six.

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We're actually going to cover quite a
bit of territory because I want to show

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you a deal that's too good to ignore.

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And I want to show you how scripture talks
to you about how to live a good life,

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how to be sure that when you die, when it
comes time to meet your maker, you can be

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assured of having a good life behind you.

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And consequently, having a good harvest.

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It's not just about living a
good life or sowing good seed.

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There's good things to come from that.

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There is a good end, a good harvest
that God wants you to enjoy.

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So what we'll see in this text,
we're going to develop a good

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metric, a good motivation and
a good method, a good metric, a

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good motivation and a good method.

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Before we jump into that, I want
to warn us against two errors

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that can typically happen when we.

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When we look at the fruit of the
Spirit, in this series, we've

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talked a lot about bearing fruit.

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How, how we're supposed to do this,
how we're supposed to go about this.

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And there's two errors that you can make.

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The first error is the error of legalism.

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Legalism is this concept of, if I do
enough good things, if I bear enough

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good fruit, God will be pleased with me.

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It's this idea that if, if you
crack the whip on a Christian and

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make him do what he's called to
do, man, you'll, you'll end well.

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God will be pleased with you.

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And that's not true.

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Uh, that's not true.

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We don't want you to feel the sense
of, if I do enough good works,

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God's going to be pleased with me.

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Now that's not the whole truth.

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The other side of this is, hey,
don't worry about it at all.

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It doesn't matter if
you do good or do bad.

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You know, you've been, you're a,
you're a sinner, you're saved by

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grace and all of life is grace.

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And while that's true, that doesn't
mean that God's okay with us just

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sitting back and hoping for the best.

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No, there's two camps,
legalism and license, and we

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want to avoid both of them.

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And starting at Galatians five, verse
16, I want to read to you through this

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section, making a few comments about
how we're going to avoid both of those

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things by bearing the fruit of the spirit.

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And we'll notice as we read through
this, how the spirit interacts

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with our Christian lives, what's
his relationship to our life.

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And we'll avoid both of those areas.

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As we jump in Galatians chapter five,
starting at verse 16, Paul says to

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the church of Galatia, but I say
Instead of devouring one another,

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that's where the but comes from.

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He's contrasting the
previous words he just said.

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Like you guys are fighting, you're
devouring one another, don't do that.

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But instead, walk by the spirit.

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And if you do this, he says, you will
not gratify the desires of the flesh.

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If you're walking by the spirit, the
fleshly impulses are going to be subdued

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because you're feeding your spirit.

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You're feeding the spirit in your life.

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Verse 17, for the desires of the flesh
are against the spirit and the desires

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of the spirit are against the flesh.

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For these are opposed to each other
to keep you from doing the things that

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you really want to do as a Christian.

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If you, if you indulge the
flesh, there's danger there.

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He says, but in verse 18, if you're
led by the Spirit, notice that in verse

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16, he says, walking by the Spirit,
now in verse 18, but if you're led by

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the Spirit, if he's leading your life,
you're not under the law, you're not

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under legalism, you're not under the
burden of the crushing weight of do

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this, do that, do this other thing.

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He's saying, no, you're not under the law.

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Because you have the spirit controlling
and compelling you to do even

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more than what the law commands.

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Verse 19 he says, now the
works of the flesh are evident.

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Sexual morality, impurity, sensuality,
idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife,

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jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries,
dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness,

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orgies, and things like these.

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So, he's just kind of giving you a
smattering of the works of the flesh.

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Not everybody commits all of these sins,
but he's saying these sins are evident

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in someone who's walking by the flesh.

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And there's many more like that.

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He says, you could, you could, as
a sinner, you can choose your sin.

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Choose your own adventure.

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There's lots of sins that you
can engage in that are fleshly.

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He says, I warn you, second half of verse
21, I warn you, as I warned you before,

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that those who do such things, notice
this, will not inherit the kingdom of God.

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Amen.

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If your life is characterized by
these sins, you can be sure you're

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not on the path that God calls you to.

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Verse 22.

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And here's our text that we've been
studying for the past several weeks now.

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But the fruit of the Spirit.

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Notice again, singular fruit, the fruit.

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It's a, it's a, as one
theologian called it, a bouquet.

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This one thing is evident in Christians.

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And it's not just one of the
fruit, it's the whole thing.

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Certainly in varying amounts, but
these all, these all go together.

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Unlike the works of the flesh, you
have the singular fruit of the Spirit.

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It's love.

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It's joy, peace, it's patience,
kindness, uh, goodness.

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We're going to look at today,
faithfulness, gentleness, self

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control, and against such things and
things like these, there is no law.

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He's saying, look, these are just a
few of the, the, the fruit that the

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spirit possesses and gives to you,
but these are not the only fruit.

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There's certainly more fruit
to be had, but, but things like

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these are not contrary to the law.

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He's saying, you don't need the
law as a Christian in the sense

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that you're not dependent upon it.

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You're dependent upon the fruit of the
spirit to bear things in your life.

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Including the fruit of goodness.

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He says in verse 24, Those who belong
to Christ Jesus have crucified the

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flesh with its passions and desires.

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You've put to death the old man, Walked
by the new man, Paul says in other places.

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In verse 25, He says now if
we live by the Spirit, okay?

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Just think back here.

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Verse 16, walk by the Spirit.

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Verse 18, led by the Spirit.

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Now verse 25, if we live by the
Spirit, Let us also keep in step

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with Him, to march along with Him.

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And let us not become conceited, provoking
one another and envying one another.

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This whole section guards us against
legalism, trying to please God by

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doing good works, and versus license,
of saying, doesn't matter what we do,

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I'm a sinner saved by grace, I can
do whatever I want, God will forgive.

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Paul is saying, no, if you live by the
Spirit, if you're walking by the Spirit,

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if the Spirit controls and compels
you, you will do what God calls you to.

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But it's not the burden of
legalism, it is the love that

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the Spirit produces within you.

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This is the foundation and the
grounds by which we're going to

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enter in this next section here.

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We're going to talk about goodness today,
and I want you to understand as I, as I

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preach the sermon to you, I don't want
you to feel the burden of, here we go

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again, cracking the whip on the Christian.

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I got to get my life together.

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I got to do better.

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I've got to be more.

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I'm not a good enough husband.

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I'm not a good enough son.

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I'm not a good enough brother.

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I'm not a good enough employee.

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There's danger in sermons like this,
but I have to have to understand if

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the Spirit's provoking you, if the
Spirit's compelling you, this is freedom.

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Um, I don't want you, if you're a non
christian especially, to think, here

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I go, I have to do this good thing.

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Christianity is not an external set of
righteous standards that you have to

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muscle your way through and say, oh,
here we go, I'm going to buckle down.

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Christianity is a religion that
provokes you from the inside out.

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It is what's inside of you that
provokes the outward behavior

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and not the other way around.

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Certainly the flesh needs to be
restrained, but the Christian operates

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00:10:19,877 --> 00:10:21,177
by a whole different standard.

227
00:10:21,612 --> 00:10:23,832
We operate from the Holy
Spirit working within us.

228
00:10:24,252 --> 00:10:26,762
So even as I give you these points,
as we prepare to go through this,

229
00:10:26,762 --> 00:10:30,062
I just need you to understand, I
felt compelled to clarify for you.

230
00:10:30,392 --> 00:10:33,742
This is not the external standards
that you do to make God happy with you.

231
00:10:34,112 --> 00:10:37,422
This is what the Spirit does in every
Christian, and I'm giving you guidance

232
00:10:37,432 --> 00:10:38,892
based on what the Scripture says.

233
00:10:39,882 --> 00:10:40,982
Okay, that.

234
00:10:41,732 --> 00:10:42,802
Legalism license.

235
00:10:42,802 --> 00:10:46,242
We want to avoid both of those ditches and
say, I want to follow the Spirit of God.

236
00:10:46,432 --> 00:10:47,332
He's leading me.

237
00:10:47,472 --> 00:10:48,622
He's, He's guarding me.

238
00:10:48,622 --> 00:10:51,092
He's, He's having me
march in step with Him.

239
00:10:51,927 --> 00:10:53,577
And now we enter into
the fruit of goodness.

240
00:10:54,567 --> 00:10:57,137
Goodness has a lot of overlap
with all the other fruit.

241
00:10:57,137 --> 00:10:58,327
In fact, all the fruit are related.

242
00:10:58,347 --> 00:11:00,267
You really, it's hard to
distinguish them one from the

243
00:11:00,267 --> 00:11:01,567
other, although Paul does that here.

244
00:11:01,897 --> 00:11:05,987
But notice again, he says in verse,
uh, 23, that there is, uh, against

245
00:11:05,987 --> 00:11:07,417
such things, there is no law.

246
00:11:07,417 --> 00:11:10,087
That concept of such things tells
us that there's more fruit to be

247
00:11:10,087 --> 00:11:11,157
listed than what Paul lists here.

248
00:11:11,157 --> 00:11:13,937
He's just saying, look, here's a,
here's a collection of the fruit.

249
00:11:13,937 --> 00:11:17,147
Here's a, here's a bouquet of
the roses, but there's many more

250
00:11:17,147 --> 00:11:19,457
roses that the Spirit produces
in the life of the Christian.

251
00:11:20,287 --> 00:11:21,087
So we look at goodness.

252
00:11:21,387 --> 00:11:24,187
First thing I want us to do as we
look at goodness is to distinguish

253
00:11:24,437 --> 00:11:26,877
between relative and absolute goodness.

254
00:11:26,897 --> 00:11:27,557
Let's start there.

255
00:11:28,127 --> 00:11:31,077
If we're going to talk about the fruit
of goodness, we need to make some

256
00:11:31,077 --> 00:11:33,647
clarifications because people have a
different understanding of goodness.

257
00:11:33,647 --> 00:11:36,967
Lots of people can misunderstand what you
and I mean when we talk about goodness.

258
00:11:37,517 --> 00:11:40,667
For instance, there was an internet
trend not too long ago where people

259
00:11:40,667 --> 00:11:44,457
would say that the way that you
can determine whether someone's a

260
00:11:44,457 --> 00:11:46,307
good person is by one simple test.

261
00:11:47,007 --> 00:11:47,687
Here's that test.

262
00:11:48,347 --> 00:11:48,937
An easy way.

263
00:11:49,442 --> 00:11:52,922
is based on what you do with the
shopping cart after you're done with it.

264
00:11:54,102 --> 00:11:57,922
Tracy Ferguson from Texas says this,
the only way to know a person's

265
00:11:57,922 --> 00:12:01,582
character is to secretly follow them to
the grocery store and watch what they

266
00:12:01,582 --> 00:12:02,722
do with the cart when they're done.

267
00:12:03,172 --> 00:12:06,772
Victoria chimed in, she said, for
a date you need to take them to a

268
00:12:06,772 --> 00:12:09,942
restaurant and do the waiter test
and then later go to the store with

269
00:12:09,942 --> 00:12:11,232
them and do the shopping cart test.

270
00:12:12,107 --> 00:12:14,187
That's how you tell if
someone's a good person or not.

271
00:12:14,187 --> 00:12:17,467
In fact, I follow this guy on, uh,
on YouTube, whose sole job, he goes

272
00:12:17,467 --> 00:12:21,147
to shopping, he goes to shopping
lots, and he'll video record people

273
00:12:21,157 --> 00:12:22,367
leaving their shopping cart there.

274
00:12:22,617 --> 00:12:25,157
And then he'll go and shame them and say,
you're gonna put that back, and record

275
00:12:25,157 --> 00:12:27,177
their reaction, and it's often terrible.

276
00:12:28,887 --> 00:12:32,007
But I mean, if we're asking the
question, what is good, and our

277
00:12:32,007 --> 00:12:35,447
standard is, do you put the shopping
cart back, that's a pretty low bar.

278
00:12:35,447 --> 00:12:36,317
I think most of us would agree.

279
00:12:36,317 --> 00:12:37,387
It's a good thing to do that.

280
00:12:37,777 --> 00:12:40,197
But that's not the standard of
goodness that Christians can say,

281
00:12:40,197 --> 00:12:41,517
yeah, that makes perfect sense.

282
00:12:41,517 --> 00:12:42,967
That fits within the Christian framework.

283
00:12:43,537 --> 00:12:46,847
What we're seeing, men, is that
most of the world around us

284
00:12:46,867 --> 00:12:48,797
defines terms very differently.

285
00:12:48,797 --> 00:12:51,377
In fact, we can barely
understand what a man is today.

286
00:12:51,377 --> 00:12:53,487
We could barely understand
what a woman is today.

287
00:12:53,987 --> 00:12:56,977
And so it's not surprising that
when we think about the term good,

288
00:12:57,497 --> 00:13:00,837
the term good has really evolved
and been shaped differently.

289
00:13:00,837 --> 00:13:03,397
We're witnessing the deconstruction
of language before our eyes.

290
00:13:04,107 --> 00:13:07,647
Which is why it's so important that we
start then with what does God say is good?

291
00:13:08,227 --> 00:13:09,287
What does God say is good?

292
00:13:09,637 --> 00:13:12,347
If you ask the culture around you,
they're gonna say, what's good?

293
00:13:12,577 --> 00:13:14,487
Here's what's good,
puberty blockers for kids.

294
00:13:15,617 --> 00:13:16,977
Ask the culture around you, what's good?

295
00:13:17,147 --> 00:13:18,897
Here's what's good, trans story hour.

296
00:13:19,932 --> 00:13:20,782
Culture, what's good?

297
00:13:21,112 --> 00:13:21,762
Here's what's good.

298
00:13:21,852 --> 00:13:22,872
Cultural Marxism.

299
00:13:23,202 --> 00:13:24,862
And the list goes on and on and on.

300
00:13:24,962 --> 00:13:27,572
I know that you're not surprised
by this, but I want to show you.

301
00:13:27,802 --> 00:13:31,322
When we say the word good, we
typically have different meanings.

302
00:13:31,632 --> 00:13:33,852
We understand the word differently,
and that's appropriate.

303
00:13:33,872 --> 00:13:35,342
That's right and good that we do that.

304
00:13:36,052 --> 00:13:37,762
Let's start by, let's start with this.

305
00:13:37,962 --> 00:13:40,552
To, to define relative
and absolute goodness.

306
00:13:40,552 --> 00:13:41,332
Let's start with God.

307
00:13:41,542 --> 00:13:42,932
God defines goodness.

308
00:13:42,932 --> 00:13:45,712
Let's just start in our mind and
say, when we talk about God, He

309
00:13:45,712 --> 00:13:47,642
Himself is the standard of goodness.

310
00:13:47,642 --> 00:13:49,612
He's the final standard of goodness.

311
00:13:49,682 --> 00:13:52,062
In fact, if you say, what is good?

312
00:13:52,222 --> 00:13:55,072
You're gonna say, good
is what God approves of.

313
00:13:55,182 --> 00:13:56,832
Good is what God is.

314
00:13:56,832 --> 00:14:00,192
Good is what God in His
character expresses.

315
00:14:00,462 --> 00:14:02,607
When you think about the word
good, you have to start with good.

316
00:14:02,807 --> 00:14:05,187
What does God say is good, and who is God?

317
00:14:05,227 --> 00:14:06,017
That's what's good.

318
00:14:07,307 --> 00:14:11,117
We don't have God subjected to some
external standard and say, well, God

319
00:14:11,337 --> 00:14:13,677
is good because he does A, B, C, and D.

320
00:14:14,237 --> 00:14:17,237
No, God himself is the
final standard of goodness.

321
00:14:17,237 --> 00:14:19,997
That's gonna be a very important place
for us to begin and to build upon.

322
00:14:20,827 --> 00:14:21,907
He's the final standard.

323
00:14:22,437 --> 00:14:25,147
All throughout the scriptures,
it says here, the Lord is good.

324
00:14:25,147 --> 00:14:28,497
Psalm 105, taste and see
that the Lord is good.

325
00:14:28,687 --> 00:14:31,527
Psalm 34, eight, the Lord is good to all.

326
00:14:31,797 --> 00:14:35,317
Actually that's in Psalm 145,
nine, uh, all over the scriptures.

327
00:14:35,317 --> 00:14:36,257
You have the Lord is good.

328
00:14:36,257 --> 00:14:36,787
The Lord is good.

329
00:14:36,787 --> 00:14:37,187
The Lord is good.

330
00:14:37,187 --> 00:14:41,177
In fact, even James and his little
book, James one 17, he says, even

331
00:14:41,327 --> 00:14:44,757
every good gift that you receive,
every good gift is from God.

332
00:14:45,212 --> 00:14:45,842
It's a good thing.

333
00:14:45,882 --> 00:14:46,502
It's from God.

334
00:14:46,522 --> 00:14:49,842
If it's good, it's from God,
because God himself is the full

335
00:14:49,842 --> 00:14:51,772
manifestation of all that is good.

336
00:14:52,542 --> 00:14:53,782
Okay, God defines good.

337
00:14:54,262 --> 00:14:57,182
With that said then, let's now
talk about absolute goodness

338
00:14:57,192 --> 00:14:58,662
versus relative goodness.

339
00:14:58,952 --> 00:15:01,102
God is the only one who's absolute.

340
00:15:01,152 --> 00:15:01,892
Let me explain this.

341
00:15:02,242 --> 00:15:02,862
Write this down.

342
00:15:02,872 --> 00:15:04,832
Luke 18, 18 and 19.

343
00:15:04,832 --> 00:15:07,907
You have the encounter of the
rich young ruler, Who comes

344
00:15:07,907 --> 00:15:09,727
to Jesus, Luke 18, 18 and 19.

345
00:15:09,857 --> 00:15:13,317
He comes to Jesus and Jesus,
uh, gives him his attention.

346
00:15:13,317 --> 00:15:16,457
The rich young ruler says, good teacher,
what must I do to inherit eternal life?

347
00:15:16,457 --> 00:15:17,707
And Jesus says, oh good.

348
00:15:17,717 --> 00:15:18,217
Thank you.

349
00:15:18,717 --> 00:15:20,277
Thank you for honoring me with your term.

350
00:15:20,277 --> 00:15:20,607
Good.

351
00:15:21,077 --> 00:15:24,167
No, Jesus stops him in his tracks and
says, young man, pause for a second.

352
00:15:24,727 --> 00:15:25,947
What do you mean by the word good?

353
00:15:26,517 --> 00:15:28,727
Are you confessing what
you should be confessing?

354
00:15:28,727 --> 00:15:30,057
Namely, that I am God in the flesh.

355
00:15:30,087 --> 00:15:31,767
Are you just giving me an honorific title?

356
00:15:31,987 --> 00:15:34,307
Jesus is quick to say, hold
on, slow your roll, son.

357
00:15:34,727 --> 00:15:35,677
What do you mean by good?

358
00:15:35,867 --> 00:15:36,907
Why do you call me good?

359
00:15:36,907 --> 00:15:40,647
Jesus says, no one is
good except God alone.

360
00:15:41,267 --> 00:15:42,837
Absolute goodness.

361
00:15:43,227 --> 00:15:47,897
Jesus is unwilling to receive
the honorific Adelaide's, uh, the

362
00:15:47,927 --> 00:15:50,827
honorific title that this young man
gives him unless he means it the

363
00:15:50,827 --> 00:15:52,217
way that it's meant to be directed.

364
00:15:52,617 --> 00:15:53,527
Absolute goodness.

365
00:15:53,537 --> 00:15:55,987
Only God is absolutely good.

366
00:15:56,437 --> 00:16:00,127
This is a standard that no Christian will
reach in his life until glorification.

367
00:16:01,132 --> 00:16:05,102
And yet, some Christians will say, well,
if only God is absolutely good, then

368
00:16:05,102 --> 00:16:06,802
maybe a Christian himself can't be good.

369
00:16:06,802 --> 00:16:07,562
That's not true.

370
00:16:08,032 --> 00:16:11,832
Goodness is one of God's shared
or communicable attributes.

371
00:16:12,312 --> 00:16:16,262
This is something that he expects his
people to convey, which is why there

372
00:16:16,272 --> 00:16:17,952
is such a thing as relative goodness.

373
00:16:18,742 --> 00:16:21,282
Christians are called
to exercise goodness.

374
00:16:21,652 --> 00:16:25,402
We practice good while God
perfectly possesses it.

375
00:16:25,662 --> 00:16:30,767
And we are good, We are good to the degree
that our actions match God's character.

376
00:16:31,167 --> 00:16:34,457
We are good to the degree that
our actions match God's character.

377
00:16:34,497 --> 00:16:35,697
That's relative goodness.

378
00:16:36,427 --> 00:16:38,164
It varies and it undulates.

379
00:16:38,164 --> 00:16:39,357
Ephesians 5.

380
00:16:39,357 --> 00:16:41,357
1 says that we're to be imitators of God.

381
00:16:41,817 --> 00:16:44,177
It makes perfect sense that when
you, when your kids do something

382
00:16:44,177 --> 00:16:46,627
that reminds you of you, it's like,
Oh yeah, they, they got that from me

383
00:16:46,627 --> 00:16:47,707
or they got that from their mother.

384
00:16:48,187 --> 00:16:51,397
Uh, you see that, and that makes perfect
sense because the kids mimic the parents.

385
00:16:51,647 --> 00:16:52,927
It's no different in the Christian life.

386
00:16:53,127 --> 00:16:55,187
Christian men are to mimic
their Heavenly Father.

387
00:16:55,187 --> 00:16:57,817
It'll be, uh, men who possess goodness.

388
00:16:58,447 --> 00:16:59,717
There'll be men who possess goodness.

389
00:17:00,897 --> 00:17:01,867
God defines good.

390
00:17:02,197 --> 00:17:03,747
Only God is absolutely good.

391
00:17:03,987 --> 00:17:07,607
We possess relative goodness, and
we are good to the degree that our

392
00:17:07,607 --> 00:17:09,127
goodness matches God's goodness.

393
00:17:09,847 --> 00:17:11,607
Here's where this rubber
meets the road here.

394
00:17:12,277 --> 00:17:13,396
I want you to think back a few years.

395
00:17:13,396 --> 00:17:16,477
If you're in California with us,
you'll remember this pretty vividly.

396
00:17:17,227 --> 00:17:20,967
Um, Every state locked down, they locked
down their citizens, said, hey, don't

397
00:17:20,977 --> 00:17:23,527
go anywhere, don't, don't do anything,
wear the mask, do all the things.

398
00:17:24,857 --> 00:17:27,896
Well meaning and well intending
pastors really wrestled with what

399
00:17:27,896 --> 00:17:29,227
to do in this particular season.

400
00:17:29,577 --> 00:17:30,677
We struggled, we prayed.

401
00:17:30,677 --> 00:17:33,557
I remember meeting with the pastors at
Compass Bible Church in Aliso Viejo.

402
00:17:33,557 --> 00:17:36,287
We sat around a table thinking,
what are we supposed to do?

403
00:17:36,517 --> 00:17:37,877
Are we going to shut down church?

404
00:17:38,202 --> 00:17:43,142
That weekend, March, was it March 20th or
whatever it was, we, we debated, the NBA

405
00:17:43,152 --> 00:17:47,552
shut down their game, everything around
us was locking their, their doors and, and

406
00:17:47,552 --> 00:17:51,082
shutting down major events, and we thought
this is a bigger deal than we expected.

407
00:17:51,082 --> 00:17:54,722
As we entered into this particular
season, we began to wrestle

408
00:17:54,722 --> 00:17:56,092
with what do we do with church?

409
00:17:56,442 --> 00:18:01,432
Is it irresponsible of pastors to hold
church when clearly everyone else around

410
00:18:01,432 --> 00:18:05,332
us, the medical authorities, the governing
authorities, and even lots of other

411
00:18:05,332 --> 00:18:06,842
churches are saying we need to shut down.

412
00:18:07,337 --> 00:18:11,117
It's a danger to everybody around
us if we keep our doors open.

413
00:18:11,907 --> 00:18:15,977
Here's one of the proof texts that pastors
used to make some of these decisions.

414
00:18:16,137 --> 00:18:18,277
And just keep your finger in 6.

415
00:18:18,277 --> 00:18:21,327
I want you to turn to Romans 13 and I
want you to see what Paul writes here.

416
00:18:21,547 --> 00:18:24,657
Because this became one of the
battlegrounds for how churches were

417
00:18:24,657 --> 00:18:27,917
to respond to this particular moment
in our, in our nation's history.

418
00:18:28,297 --> 00:18:29,347
Romans chapter 13.

419
00:18:29,347 --> 00:18:31,767
If you're familiar with your Bible,
you know that this is a section that

420
00:18:31,767 --> 00:18:33,327
talks about submitting to authorities.

421
00:18:33,617 --> 00:18:35,157
Romans 13 verses 1 through 3.

422
00:18:35,157 --> 00:18:36,277
Paul's going to give instruction.

423
00:18:36,662 --> 00:18:40,722
About how Christians should posture
themselves toward governing authorities.

424
00:18:40,722 --> 00:18:41,432
And here's what he says.

425
00:18:42,182 --> 00:18:45,862
Let every person be subject
to the governing authorities.

426
00:18:45,862 --> 00:18:47,952
Well, there, there's,
there's the answer, right?

427
00:18:48,522 --> 00:18:51,392
It was, it's, you should, it's
what God calls Christians to do.

428
00:18:51,452 --> 00:18:52,812
Submit to the governing authorities.

429
00:18:53,272 --> 00:18:54,062
Paul continues on.

430
00:18:54,262 --> 00:18:56,502
For there's no authority except from God.

431
00:18:56,912 --> 00:18:59,602
And those that exist have
been instituted by God.

432
00:18:59,602 --> 00:19:00,672
Every authority is from God.

433
00:19:01,252 --> 00:19:02,842
This is what God has installed.

434
00:19:03,292 --> 00:19:06,692
Therefore, Paul reasons,
whoever resists the authorities

435
00:19:06,932 --> 00:19:08,832
resists what God has appointed.

436
00:19:09,512 --> 00:19:11,402
And those who resist will incur judgment.

437
00:19:11,412 --> 00:19:14,982
The government has the authority to
lock you up, to fine you, tax you, etc.

438
00:19:15,632 --> 00:19:20,922
He says in verse 3, 4, the rationale,
rulers are not a terror to good

439
00:19:20,992 --> 00:19:23,452
conduct, but to bad conduct.

440
00:19:23,922 --> 00:19:26,782
And would you have no fear of
the one who is in authority?

441
00:19:27,342 --> 00:19:30,742
Then, therefore, he's
saying, do what is good.

442
00:19:30,752 --> 00:19:31,542
There's our word again.

443
00:19:31,722 --> 00:19:34,562
And you will receive his approval
for he is God's servant for your,

444
00:19:34,562 --> 00:19:35,932
there's the, our word again.

445
00:19:36,012 --> 00:19:36,172
Good.

446
00:19:36,192 --> 00:19:37,212
He's your servant for your good.

447
00:19:38,012 --> 00:19:39,622
But if you do, if you do wrong, be afraid.

448
00:19:39,622 --> 00:19:40,742
He doesn't bear the sword in vain.

449
00:19:40,752 --> 00:19:43,312
He has the authority to
carry out judgment upon you.

450
00:19:44,062 --> 00:19:44,362
All right.

451
00:19:44,582 --> 00:19:48,422
So you noticed our word for goodness,
you know, peppered in this text here.

452
00:19:48,502 --> 00:19:48,782
Good.

453
00:19:48,832 --> 00:19:49,282
It's good.

454
00:19:49,322 --> 00:19:49,762
It's good.

455
00:19:50,092 --> 00:19:52,002
So here's where pastors began to struggle.

456
00:19:52,102 --> 00:19:55,532
We have Romans 13 and the government
saying shut down, close your doors.

457
00:19:56,102 --> 00:19:57,462
Don't, don't allow people near church.

458
00:19:57,762 --> 00:20:00,952
And at some point, if you were going
to have church, you can only gather 25

459
00:20:00,952 --> 00:20:02,432
and then 50, whatever the numbers were.

460
00:20:03,232 --> 00:20:03,812
We struggled.

461
00:20:03,912 --> 00:20:05,362
And this is one of the reasons why.

462
00:20:05,762 --> 00:20:08,032
Now I want you to put yourself in
our shoes for a moment and say,

463
00:20:08,292 --> 00:20:09,852
what would be my responsibility?

464
00:20:10,317 --> 00:20:15,217
Romans 13 clearly says, obey, submit
to your authorities and in the same

465
00:20:15,217 --> 00:20:16,817
breath says, he's there for your good.

466
00:20:18,047 --> 00:20:20,017
Now if you're catching my
drift here, we're going to

467
00:20:20,017 --> 00:20:21,737
start again with what's good.

468
00:20:22,537 --> 00:20:23,467
God defines good.

469
00:20:24,197 --> 00:20:25,447
God's goodness is absolute.

470
00:20:25,467 --> 00:20:28,907
Ours is relative and our goodness
is good only to the degree

471
00:20:28,907 --> 00:20:30,277
that it matches God's goodness.

472
00:20:30,977 --> 00:20:33,407
So I'm going to take a step back from
this whole thing and say, okay, during

473
00:20:33,417 --> 00:20:34,777
COVID, what's the right thing to do?

474
00:20:34,877 --> 00:20:37,087
Well, the first thing to do
is to identify what is good.

475
00:20:37,687 --> 00:20:40,707
Does Paul, and, and most people, most
scholars, commentators think that

476
00:20:40,707 --> 00:20:43,417
Paul's writing during the time of
Nero, which if you know your Roman

477
00:20:43,417 --> 00:20:47,657
history, he was one of the worst,
most scandalous emperors to ever rule.

478
00:20:47,947 --> 00:20:51,577
Burning Christians in his parties,
sending Christians into the, uh, into the

479
00:20:51,577 --> 00:20:53,887
Colosseum to be torn apart by wild beasts.

480
00:20:54,557 --> 00:20:57,477
And Paul says, submit to
your governing authorities.

481
00:20:59,407 --> 00:21:01,297
Seems kind of a bit of a
quandary if you ask me.

482
00:21:02,297 --> 00:21:03,957
Except I don't think
it's that complicated.

483
00:21:04,897 --> 00:21:06,852
Looking back, and of
course hindsight is 20 20.

484
00:21:07,992 --> 00:21:08,612
Goodness.

485
00:21:09,122 --> 00:21:13,112
When Paul says in Romans 13, to
submit to your governing authorities,

486
00:21:13,402 --> 00:21:16,682
for they're a terror to good
conduct, Paul is assuming that there

487
00:21:16,822 --> 00:21:21,492
are, there is in every governing
authority, there is common grace,

488
00:21:21,502 --> 00:21:23,302
where they will do what is righteous.

489
00:21:23,972 --> 00:21:26,782
Not because they're following God's law,
but because they enjoy common grace.

490
00:21:26,782 --> 00:21:27,872
They're doing good things.

491
00:21:28,142 --> 00:21:30,832
And Christians, to the degree
that the government says to do

492
00:21:30,832 --> 00:21:33,262
what is righteous, should say,
okay, we're going to obey that.

493
00:21:33,652 --> 00:21:35,802
Because God defines
good, not my government.

494
00:21:36,207 --> 00:21:38,207
And when the government affirms
what God says is good, I can

495
00:21:38,207 --> 00:21:39,797
say, okay, I can do that.

496
00:21:40,097 --> 00:21:41,277
I can obey the speed limit.

497
00:21:41,317 --> 00:21:42,407
I can pay my taxes.

498
00:21:42,407 --> 00:21:46,227
I can, I can, uh, you know, give honor
to whom honor is due, Paul will also say.

499
00:21:46,367 --> 00:21:48,797
I can do all those things because
that's what God says is good.

500
00:21:49,127 --> 00:21:52,267
I define God's goodness and I see that
through the lens of my government.

501
00:21:52,267 --> 00:21:53,677
So, okay, what does my government say?

502
00:21:53,677 --> 00:21:54,207
That's good.

503
00:21:54,827 --> 00:21:55,687
Now, it gets really dicey.

504
00:21:55,687 --> 00:21:57,937
I know some of you are going to push
back and say, what about taxes for this?

505
00:21:57,937 --> 00:21:59,167
And they're doing that over there.

506
00:21:59,167 --> 00:21:59,497
I get it.

507
00:21:59,507 --> 00:22:00,477
There's, there's complication here.

508
00:22:00,477 --> 00:22:02,727
It's not always a neat and clean
picture, but when the government

509
00:22:02,727 --> 00:22:05,137
says, hey, shut down your church
and don't meet, I could say.

510
00:22:05,532 --> 00:22:08,432
The government says that's good, but is
that good according to God's standard?

511
00:22:08,962 --> 00:22:12,012
There are some things that are
worth my life, including going

512
00:22:12,012 --> 00:22:12,952
to church and being with you.

513
00:22:13,762 --> 00:22:15,512
There are some things
that are worth me saying.

514
00:22:15,672 --> 00:22:19,172
This is a higher good than preserving
my, my, my physical health.

515
00:22:20,102 --> 00:22:21,132
Important as that might be.

516
00:22:21,282 --> 00:22:23,132
That is something that God
calls us to do as well.

517
00:22:23,132 --> 00:22:24,402
That is a good God calls us to.

518
00:22:24,412 --> 00:22:25,412
We're to steward our body.

519
00:22:25,642 --> 00:22:28,362
But when it comes to defining goodness
and distinguishing between relative and

520
00:22:28,362 --> 00:22:29,972
absolute, I'm gonna say God defines it.

521
00:22:30,712 --> 00:22:31,282
God defines it.

522
00:22:31,522 --> 00:22:34,102
Man, let me tell you, I'm,
I'm, I'm harking on this

523
00:22:34,102 --> 00:22:35,052
because this is so important.

524
00:22:35,092 --> 00:22:35,792
This is so important.

525
00:22:35,952 --> 00:22:37,332
This happens all over your life.

526
00:22:37,332 --> 00:22:39,822
You're being influenced by a world
that says, this is good, do this.

527
00:22:40,262 --> 00:22:43,012
Most of the time, we can probably,
probably not bad and nice.

528
00:22:43,062 --> 00:22:43,452
That's okay.

529
00:22:43,452 --> 00:22:44,392
We could do those things.

530
00:22:44,982 --> 00:22:46,922
There are things that the world
influences you on that you

531
00:22:47,062 --> 00:22:47,952
don't really pay attention to.

532
00:22:48,522 --> 00:22:50,782
In your questions, I have you
thinking through two other issues,

533
00:22:51,052 --> 00:22:52,332
family life and retirement.

534
00:22:53,142 --> 00:22:55,912
Those are two other areas that you
would do well as a Christian to say,

535
00:22:55,912 --> 00:23:00,482
what does God say about what's good in
terms of family life and retirement?

536
00:23:01,427 --> 00:23:04,557
And I don't want to, you know, do all
the thinking for you, but I want you to

537
00:23:04,557 --> 00:23:07,297
say is, is what's good in these areas.

538
00:23:07,357 --> 00:23:10,157
What the world says is good for my
family life and good for retirement

539
00:23:10,537 --> 00:23:13,637
is what's good or my work life
is what the world says is good.

540
00:23:13,637 --> 00:23:14,477
Is that really good?

541
00:23:14,637 --> 00:23:15,607
Is that what God says is good?

542
00:23:15,927 --> 00:23:17,267
Because if not, I need to reject that.

543
00:23:17,377 --> 00:23:21,297
I need to recalibrate that and a discern
and distinguish what's really good.

544
00:23:22,787 --> 00:23:23,757
I'll leave it at that for now.

545
00:23:24,177 --> 00:23:26,967
But as we think about the fruit
of goodness, we have to remember,

546
00:23:27,057 --> 00:23:28,077
goodness goes back to God.

547
00:23:28,107 --> 00:23:29,027
What does God say is good?

548
00:23:29,067 --> 00:23:29,907
That's what's really good.

549
00:23:30,047 --> 00:23:32,977
Not what I define, not what the government
defines, not what my job defines.

550
00:23:33,347 --> 00:23:36,297
I want to know what's good according
to God's word and then walk that out.

551
00:23:36,977 --> 00:23:37,767
That's where we need to start.

552
00:23:38,347 --> 00:23:40,007
Continue with me to Galatians chapter 6.

553
00:23:40,307 --> 00:23:41,957
We looked at now the metric for goodness.

554
00:23:42,127 --> 00:23:45,237
Now we're going to look for, we're going
to look at the motivation for goodness.

555
00:23:45,637 --> 00:23:47,727
Look at how Paul motivates
us to pursue goodness.

556
00:23:47,747 --> 00:23:48,907
Galatians chapter 6.

557
00:23:49,187 --> 00:23:51,077
Now we're going to look
at verses 6 through 10.

558
00:23:51,657 --> 00:23:53,587
And I want to give you the context,
we're going to read it through together,

559
00:23:53,817 --> 00:23:56,057
and then I'll walk you through the
way I think we should apply this.

560
00:23:56,067 --> 00:24:01,067
Starting at verse 6, Galatians chapter
6, Paul concludes to the church, he says,

561
00:24:01,387 --> 00:24:06,197
Let the one who has taught the word share
all good things with the one who teaches.

562
00:24:06,197 --> 00:24:10,117
There's our word again, good,
agathos, let the one, so let those

563
00:24:10,117 --> 00:24:13,377
who are being taught share all good
things with the one who teaches.

564
00:24:13,377 --> 00:24:16,327
He's saying share your blessings, share
your material goods, take care of your

565
00:24:16,327 --> 00:24:17,737
teachers, take care of your pastors.

566
00:24:18,402 --> 00:24:21,362
And then he continues on, he says,
Don't be deceived, by the way, guys.

567
00:24:21,642 --> 00:24:22,442
God is not mocked.

568
00:24:22,442 --> 00:24:24,852
And I love when, I love when I
see the words, Don't be deceived.

569
00:24:25,092 --> 00:24:27,322
Because it reminds me, I can be deceived.

570
00:24:28,102 --> 00:24:29,832
Don't be deceived, because
you could be deceived.

571
00:24:30,112 --> 00:24:32,302
Be aware, you could be tricked
into thinking something different.

572
00:24:32,812 --> 00:24:33,632
Don't be deceived, men.

573
00:24:34,132 --> 00:24:38,442
God is not mocked, for whatever
one sows, that will he also reap.

574
00:24:38,862 --> 00:24:42,292
For the one who sows to his own flesh
will from the flesh reap corruption.

575
00:24:42,962 --> 00:24:45,942
But the one who sows of the Spirit
will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

576
00:24:46,352 --> 00:24:47,842
And by the way, don't get tired.

577
00:24:48,072 --> 00:24:50,252
Don't, don't grow slack
handed in doing good.

578
00:24:50,572 --> 00:24:52,102
There's that whole
phrase again, doing good.

579
00:24:52,282 --> 00:24:56,012
Don't grow weary of doing good
because in due season you will reap.

580
00:24:56,022 --> 00:24:58,832
We will reap if, if, if we don't give up.

581
00:24:58,842 --> 00:25:02,122
That is to say, there is a time
when you can give up and lose the

582
00:25:02,122 --> 00:25:03,702
harvest because you stop farming.

583
00:25:03,862 --> 00:25:04,802
You stop pulling weeds.

584
00:25:05,022 --> 00:25:05,702
You stop giving.

585
00:25:05,702 --> 00:25:06,772
You stop feeding the soil.

586
00:25:07,167 --> 00:25:08,467
Don't lose heart.

587
00:25:08,477 --> 00:25:09,357
Don't, don't be deceived.

588
00:25:09,527 --> 00:25:12,717
God will give you a harvest
if you don't give up.

589
00:25:13,577 --> 00:25:17,757
Verse 10, he closes this entire
section saying, so then, as we

590
00:25:17,757 --> 00:25:22,317
have opportunity, let us, here
we go again, do good to everyone.

591
00:25:22,847 --> 00:25:28,017
But especially, especially, more
importantly, with priority, do it to

592
00:25:28,017 --> 00:25:30,167
those who are of the household of faith.

593
00:25:30,727 --> 00:25:35,237
Paul ties the whole thing together by
saying, do good by sharing the good

594
00:25:35,237 --> 00:25:36,367
that you have with your teachers.

595
00:25:36,972 --> 00:25:39,372
And then, do good to the body, the church.

596
00:25:39,392 --> 00:25:41,912
Do good to everyone, but do good
especially to the body of Christ.

597
00:25:41,912 --> 00:25:46,022
So this whole section is really
about sowing to the spirit

598
00:25:46,032 --> 00:25:47,682
by investing in your church.

599
00:25:48,282 --> 00:25:49,292
It includes everybody.

600
00:25:49,332 --> 00:25:53,432
It bleeds over to everybody, but it
really is about doing good in the life

601
00:25:53,432 --> 00:25:55,762
of the church, and particularly the
household of faith, your teachers, your

602
00:25:55,762 --> 00:25:57,022
pastors within the life of the church.

603
00:25:57,022 --> 00:26:00,252
But it does, and it accurately
has broader application.

604
00:26:01,162 --> 00:26:03,272
But I want to focus on the
motivation Paul gives you here.

605
00:26:03,882 --> 00:26:07,062
Paul is not just saying, hey, get to
work, do the job, you should do it.

606
00:26:07,282 --> 00:26:08,382
Man up and do the job.

607
00:26:08,402 --> 00:26:09,232
Stop complaining.

608
00:26:09,582 --> 00:26:11,332
There's other places where
Paul arguably says that.

609
00:26:11,672 --> 00:26:13,082
Uh, act like men, be strong, right?

610
00:26:13,342 --> 00:26:15,892
Uh, but there's, but in this case
he's saying, look, listen, listen men.

611
00:26:16,262 --> 00:26:17,082
Don't be deceived.

612
00:26:17,132 --> 00:26:19,312
Don't be tricked into thinking that
what you're doing doesn't matter.

613
00:26:19,462 --> 00:26:23,942
No, know that in the future there is a
good and a godly harvest that is yours.

614
00:26:23,962 --> 00:26:25,992
It's guaranteed if you just hang in there.

615
00:26:26,752 --> 00:26:28,282
Keep going until the bell rings.

616
00:26:28,502 --> 00:26:30,022
Keep going until the horn blows.

617
00:26:30,052 --> 00:26:30,882
You're not finished yet.

618
00:26:30,882 --> 00:26:31,852
Keep marching ahead.

619
00:26:32,062 --> 00:26:34,652
Keep in step with the Spirit
by marching ahead, day by day,

620
00:26:34,822 --> 00:26:36,622
hour by hour, habit by habit.

621
00:26:36,802 --> 00:26:39,542
Sow to the Spirit and trust
that you will reap a harvest.

622
00:26:40,682 --> 00:26:41,502
Sow to the Spirit.

623
00:26:41,722 --> 00:26:42,482
Sow seeds.

624
00:26:42,732 --> 00:26:43,572
Plant seeds.

625
00:26:44,412 --> 00:26:46,782
And trust that God will give
you a harvest that is better.

626
00:26:46,782 --> 00:26:48,202
In fact, you reap what you sow.

627
00:26:48,797 --> 00:26:51,527
You reap more than you sow,
and you reap after you sow.

628
00:26:51,627 --> 00:26:52,227
Isn't that true?

629
00:26:52,527 --> 00:26:53,367
You reap what you sow.

630
00:26:53,367 --> 00:26:55,797
You're going to get, if you plant apple
seeds, you're going to get apples.

631
00:26:55,797 --> 00:26:57,317
You plant oranges, you're
going to get oranges.

632
00:26:57,787 --> 00:26:58,707
You reap what you sow.

633
00:26:59,107 --> 00:27:01,247
But it's also true that
you reap more than you sow.

634
00:27:01,757 --> 00:27:05,117
You reap just a little bit of seed,
you get a much larger harvest, and it's

635
00:27:05,117 --> 00:27:06,707
also true that you reap after you sow.

636
00:27:06,707 --> 00:27:09,807
You don't get anything unless you sow the
seed, unless you're putting in the effort.

637
00:27:10,617 --> 00:27:13,447
Paul wants you to be encouraged
that this is, this is your heritage.

638
00:27:13,727 --> 00:27:17,947
You have a promise from God that you will
reap a great harvest if you stay in there.

639
00:27:18,317 --> 00:27:18,737
Why?

640
00:27:18,767 --> 00:27:20,207
Because of the undeniable truth.

641
00:27:20,267 --> 00:27:22,097
You will reap what you sow.

642
00:27:22,787 --> 00:27:27,347
Point number two, you should expect
an eventual return on your investment.

643
00:27:27,647 --> 00:27:28,447
Expect it.

644
00:27:28,527 --> 00:27:29,387
Anticipate it.

645
00:27:29,447 --> 00:27:30,117
Savor it.

646
00:27:30,357 --> 00:27:31,427
Look forward to it.

647
00:27:31,657 --> 00:27:36,557
Expect that God's going to pay you
back in this life and the next life

648
00:27:36,747 --> 00:27:38,987
through all the good deeds that you sow.

649
00:27:39,187 --> 00:27:42,537
As you possess goodness, as you
present goodness, as you practice

650
00:27:42,557 --> 00:27:46,697
goodness, God guarantees that
you will reap what you sow.

651
00:27:49,252 --> 00:27:54,262
I am so proud of the 20 some odd
families that traveled 1500 miles.

652
00:27:54,292 --> 00:27:57,892
They left the, the sunny shores and
the beautiful mountains and scenery

653
00:27:57,892 --> 00:28:03,637
of Southern California to come with
us to the Promised Land of Texas , the

654
00:28:03,637 --> 00:28:06,312
heat wait, the, the heat and the
cold and everything else in between.

655
00:28:06,312 --> 00:28:06,822
The bugs.

656
00:28:07,242 --> 00:28:11,652
Um, lots of people were, were pretty
sour on that and they weren't trying

657
00:28:11,652 --> 00:28:14,052
to be discouraging, but people would
constantly come up and say, what

658
00:28:14,052 --> 00:28:15,132
are you, why are you guys going?

659
00:28:15,612 --> 00:28:17,292
Like, aren't the bugs huge out there?

660
00:28:17,707 --> 00:28:21,817
And there's tornadoes and, and there's
scary things and, you know, the, the

661
00:28:21,827 --> 00:28:23,317
hot, oh, it's just too hot for me.

662
00:28:23,317 --> 00:28:27,177
And I continually had to gently, I know
my, my church meant well, and I'm sure

663
00:28:27,177 --> 00:28:30,447
people said that to you, to you guys,
some of you guys who came down with us.

664
00:28:31,057 --> 00:28:33,327
I had to gently push back and say,
we're not going out there for that.

665
00:28:33,777 --> 00:28:36,527
Like, we're not going out there for the
housing prices, although those are nice.

666
00:28:36,557 --> 00:28:37,837
We're not going out there for the weather.

667
00:28:38,297 --> 00:28:39,637
We're not going out
there for those things.

668
00:28:40,247 --> 00:28:41,487
We're not going out for these things.

669
00:28:41,527 --> 00:28:44,617
But, I mean, people, you know, Even
people who knew our church, knew our

670
00:28:44,617 --> 00:28:48,307
values, struggled to understand why
would you leave this great place?

671
00:28:48,307 --> 00:28:50,517
We've got great pastors teaching.

672
00:28:50,527 --> 00:28:51,807
We've got these great resources.

673
00:28:51,807 --> 00:28:54,637
We have these buildings and we have,
you know, we're in a renovation

674
00:28:54,647 --> 00:28:56,267
project right now for a new bookstore.

675
00:28:56,267 --> 00:28:59,037
And I mean, look, we've got the
beach over here, a 15 minute drive

676
00:28:59,037 --> 00:29:03,197
to that beach, 15 minute drive to
that beach, 45 minutes to Big Bear.

677
00:29:03,197 --> 00:29:03,867
I mean everything.

678
00:29:03,867 --> 00:29:04,887
Why would you leave this?

679
00:29:05,547 --> 00:29:08,387
Why would you invest in
that place over there?

680
00:29:09,287 --> 00:29:10,377
And it was easy for us, right?

681
00:29:10,767 --> 00:29:11,487
Because of the fruit.

682
00:29:12,042 --> 00:29:12,682
The fruit!

683
00:29:13,042 --> 00:29:14,562
Like, we're not going for
the fruit of the household.

684
00:29:15,042 --> 00:29:16,572
We're not going for the
fruit of anything else.

685
00:29:16,602 --> 00:29:18,492
We're going for the fruit
that abounds to eternity.

686
00:29:18,832 --> 00:29:20,732
This is better than California.

687
00:29:20,972 --> 00:29:22,592
Not for everybody, but this is better.

688
00:29:23,172 --> 00:29:24,232
This is a better thing.

689
00:29:24,412 --> 00:29:27,952
We're investing in what's going
to matter and echo into eternity.

690
00:29:28,282 --> 00:29:29,012
That's a good thing.

691
00:29:29,822 --> 00:29:31,042
And of course, that makes perfect sense.

692
00:29:31,042 --> 00:29:34,302
When you're thinking eternally
and not temporally, exchanges

693
00:29:34,302 --> 00:29:35,522
like this make perfect sense.

694
00:29:36,382 --> 00:29:36,832
How about this?

695
00:29:37,262 --> 00:29:39,322
You ever go on a vacation
with your family?

696
00:29:39,322 --> 00:29:44,372
That's I don't think you, I mean, here's
the, here's the, here's the principle.

697
00:29:45,112 --> 00:29:48,202
Work is enjoyable when
the reward is inevitable.

698
00:29:48,802 --> 00:29:51,642
The work of packing and preparing
and planning where you're going to

699
00:29:51,642 --> 00:29:54,772
spend the night and where you're
going to go and what sites you'll see.

700
00:29:54,782 --> 00:29:56,322
I mean, that's, it's, it's work.

701
00:29:56,617 --> 00:29:59,837
But when you're packing your bag to go on
a vacation, that doesn't feel like work.

702
00:29:59,837 --> 00:30:00,647
It's kind of exciting.

703
00:30:00,917 --> 00:30:03,747
I'm gonna wear this, I'm gonna put these
shorts on, I'm gonna wear that, you

704
00:30:03,747 --> 00:30:06,367
know, oh, we're going to this climate, I
better be ready, and I'm gonna make sure

705
00:30:06,367 --> 00:30:07,667
I bring sunscreen, I don't want to burn.

706
00:30:07,677 --> 00:30:11,247
I mean, that's work, but it's work
that you typically welcome and embrace.

707
00:30:11,897 --> 00:30:14,547
The work is enjoyable because
the reward is inevitable.

708
00:30:14,547 --> 00:30:16,887
You're gonna go spend time with the
kids, you're gonna go scuba diving,

709
00:30:16,897 --> 00:30:19,237
you're gonna go parasailing, you're
gonna enjoy the, you know, the

710
00:30:19,247 --> 00:30:21,067
backcountry of this or that place.

711
00:30:21,187 --> 00:30:23,417
Like, the work is enjoyable
when the reward is inevitable.

712
00:30:23,947 --> 00:30:25,067
Christian life is not very different.

713
00:30:25,762 --> 00:30:26,802
The work that we do is hard.

714
00:30:27,342 --> 00:30:28,762
Sowing good seed takes effort.

715
00:30:28,772 --> 00:30:29,702
I mean, ask any farmer.

716
00:30:29,702 --> 00:30:31,332
It takes effort to sow seed.

717
00:30:31,642 --> 00:30:33,452
It's hard and it used to be backbreaking.

718
00:30:33,482 --> 00:30:35,612
Now there's much more machinery
involved and it's a little less hard,

719
00:30:35,612 --> 00:30:38,542
but it still takes a lot of effort
for us to put seed into the ground.

720
00:30:38,932 --> 00:30:40,432
And it's not different
for your Christian life.

721
00:30:40,432 --> 00:30:44,192
As you pursue Christian maturity,
you have to work hard, backbreakingly

722
00:30:44,202 --> 00:30:48,272
hard on occasion, to sow seed that you
know will echo and abound to eternity.

723
00:30:48,912 --> 00:30:49,682
It's supposed to be that way.

724
00:30:50,152 --> 00:30:53,232
But we should expect, we
should expect that God.

725
00:30:53,642 --> 00:30:54,632
We'll reward us for this.

726
00:30:54,812 --> 00:30:56,332
We should expect that
God will take care of us.

727
00:30:56,332 --> 00:30:59,702
We should expect that God
wants us to do this because

728
00:30:59,702 --> 00:31:01,252
he's going to take care of us.

729
00:31:02,092 --> 00:31:04,272
Some of you are gonna pause and
say, well, hold on Pastor Ron.

730
00:31:04,612 --> 00:31:06,462
Shouldn't we be good for goodness sake?

731
00:31:07,032 --> 00:31:08,742
Isn't that what Santa
Claus come into town said?

732
00:31:10,672 --> 00:31:13,062
He sees you when you're sleeping,
sees you when you're awake.

733
00:31:13,212 --> 00:31:14,542
He knows you've been bad or good.

734
00:31:14,572 --> 00:31:16,432
So be good for goodness sake.

735
00:31:16,432 --> 00:31:17,702
That's a creepy Santa Claus if you ask me.

736
00:31:19,042 --> 00:31:20,152
Be good for goodness sake.

737
00:31:21,462 --> 00:31:21,902
That.

738
00:31:23,412 --> 00:31:24,082
It's well meaning.

739
00:31:24,082 --> 00:31:26,662
I think a lot of Christians can
feel that and believe that and

740
00:31:26,662 --> 00:31:27,802
say, I don't need the rewards.

741
00:31:28,242 --> 00:31:30,662
Pastor Rod, I just, I just want
to do it for the glory of God.

742
00:31:30,672 --> 00:31:31,892
Well, that's a reward too, by the way.

743
00:31:32,272 --> 00:31:37,742
But Jesus was not unwilling
to motivate us by saying, Hey,

744
00:31:38,182 --> 00:31:39,572
you plant seeds in this life.

745
00:31:39,572 --> 00:31:40,762
You're going to reap in the next life.

746
00:31:41,022 --> 00:31:42,042
He was quick to tell us.

747
00:31:42,042 --> 00:31:44,032
In fact, let me just give you a
couple of verses to write down here.

748
00:31:44,342 --> 00:31:45,632
Matthew six, three and four.

749
00:31:46,552 --> 00:31:50,272
He was telling his disciples, look, when
you get to the needy, don't let your left

750
00:31:50,272 --> 00:31:51,672
hand know what your right hand is doing.

751
00:31:52,202 --> 00:31:53,892
So that your giving may be in secret.

752
00:31:54,142 --> 00:31:55,112
He could have ended there.

753
00:31:55,402 --> 00:31:57,862
He could have stopped and said,
Hey, that's the right thing to do.

754
00:31:57,892 --> 00:31:58,712
Just do it that way.

755
00:31:59,312 --> 00:32:00,072
But he continues on.

756
00:32:00,072 --> 00:32:00,602
Jesus continues.

757
00:32:00,602 --> 00:32:01,312
He finishes the sentence.

758
00:32:01,312 --> 00:32:06,052
He says this, And your father who
sees in secret will reward you.

759
00:32:06,402 --> 00:32:07,112
He'll reward you.

760
00:32:07,252 --> 00:32:09,402
He'll give you good things
because of what you just did.

761
00:32:10,752 --> 00:32:11,972
Matthew 6, 6.

762
00:32:11,972 --> 00:32:12,782
Two verses later.

763
00:32:13,362 --> 00:32:16,747
When you pray, Go to your room, shut
the door, pray to your father who is

764
00:32:16,747 --> 00:32:22,027
in secret, and your father who sees in
secret, here we go again, will reward you.

765
00:32:22,927 --> 00:32:26,327
Jesus is okay with saying, look, there's
a carrot at the end of this here.

766
00:32:27,047 --> 00:32:29,417
Labor, give your best, sow your seed.

767
00:32:30,287 --> 00:32:32,557
Matthew 6, 17 and 18.

768
00:32:32,557 --> 00:32:34,917
If you're going to fast, anoint
your head and wash your face.

769
00:32:34,917 --> 00:32:36,437
Don't let anybody know
that you're fasting.

770
00:32:37,252 --> 00:32:41,112
So that it won't be seen by others,
but by your father who is in secret.

771
00:32:41,142 --> 00:32:41,982
And here we go again.

772
00:32:41,982 --> 00:32:42,552
Here's the echo.

773
00:32:42,552 --> 00:32:45,022
Your father who sees in
secret will reward you.

774
00:32:46,562 --> 00:32:47,072
One more.

775
00:32:47,162 --> 00:32:48,362
Matthew 10, 42.

776
00:32:48,362 --> 00:32:49,462
Matthew 10, 42.

777
00:32:50,662 --> 00:32:54,822
Jesus goes so far as to say, if you give
a cup of water to somebody in my name,

778
00:32:54,822 --> 00:32:59,882
because you love me as an act of loving
service to my care, here's what he says.

779
00:33:00,402 --> 00:33:03,202
Whoever gives one of these
little ones, even a cup of cold

780
00:33:03,202 --> 00:33:04,722
water, because he is a disciple.

781
00:33:04,722 --> 00:33:05,992
Truly, I say to you.

782
00:33:06,717 --> 00:33:10,377
He will by no means lose his reward.

783
00:33:12,307 --> 00:33:15,777
I want you to expect an eventual
return on your investment, and even

784
00:33:15,777 --> 00:33:18,117
to be excited about that, to say,
God's going to take care of me.

785
00:33:18,617 --> 00:33:22,257
I might give to you and serve you,
and maybe you don't appreciate it

786
00:33:22,257 --> 00:33:23,237
the way that I think you should.

787
00:33:23,287 --> 00:33:25,227
Maybe, you know, you don't
shake my hand after the service.

788
00:33:25,227 --> 00:33:27,277
You don't pat me on the back and
say, thanks Pastor Rob for that.

789
00:33:28,017 --> 00:33:30,917
And I might be offended in my heart
and say, well, I should have done this.

790
00:33:30,917 --> 00:33:32,447
And I didn't realize how
hard I worked on that sermon.

791
00:33:33,457 --> 00:33:33,977
I don't need that.

792
00:33:34,407 --> 00:33:34,807
I don't need that.

793
00:33:34,827 --> 00:33:35,397
You don't need that.

794
00:33:35,952 --> 00:33:38,452
Your pastors may forget to acknowledge
the things that you're doing.

795
00:33:38,982 --> 00:33:41,732
I talked to someone recently who
felt like, that he was ignored.

796
00:33:41,962 --> 00:33:43,352
And that we didn't, we
didn't care about him.

797
00:33:43,382 --> 00:33:44,562
I felt terrible about that.

798
00:33:44,562 --> 00:33:45,492
Oh, we do care about you.

799
00:33:45,492 --> 00:33:48,142
I'm sorry that you felt like
we, we missed your, your

800
00:33:48,142 --> 00:33:49,642
contribution in this thing or that.

801
00:33:49,642 --> 00:33:50,772
That bothers me.

802
00:33:51,442 --> 00:33:52,652
I don't want to ignore anybody.

803
00:33:53,032 --> 00:33:56,232
But at the end of the day, I'm
not looking for your accolades.

804
00:33:56,572 --> 00:33:57,792
I want the accolades of Christ.

805
00:33:58,212 --> 00:34:00,772
I want the eventual reward
that comes from my labor.

806
00:34:00,772 --> 00:34:03,202
And I want Jesus to say, well
done, good and faithful servant.

807
00:34:03,202 --> 00:34:04,292
And I know that you want that too.

808
00:34:04,292 --> 00:34:05,142
That's a good life.

809
00:34:06,227 --> 00:34:08,797
And the way that we do that, if
we sow seeds expecting that Jesus

810
00:34:08,797 --> 00:34:10,777
will pay us back, men will fail us.

811
00:34:10,996 --> 00:34:13,757
Your wives may not give you the
kind of respect or response that

812
00:34:13,757 --> 00:34:15,266
you expect or think you deserve.

813
00:34:15,567 --> 00:34:17,407
Your kids may not honor
you the way that you think.

814
00:34:17,407 --> 00:34:20,036
Your grandkids may ignore you despite
the fact that you buy them everything.

815
00:34:20,387 --> 00:34:24,317
Your, your, your, your boss, Uh, your
employees may not give you the deference

816
00:34:24,327 --> 00:34:26,137
that you deserve because of your industry.

817
00:34:26,137 --> 00:34:28,556
And, and maybe you've worked hard,
you've got the education, you've

818
00:34:28,556 --> 00:34:30,327
got all the backing, and yet you
still feel like, man, no one's

819
00:34:30,327 --> 00:34:31,697
giving me the respect I, I deserve.

820
00:34:31,857 --> 00:34:35,016
I'm working hard, I'm loving them, pouring
myself out for my family, my friends,

821
00:34:35,016 --> 00:34:36,706
my church, and yet this is what I get?

822
00:34:36,837 --> 00:34:37,377
No, no, no.

823
00:34:37,867 --> 00:34:38,927
God's gonna pay you back.

824
00:34:39,097 --> 00:34:39,757
He sees.

825
00:34:39,766 --> 00:34:40,597
He will reward.

826
00:34:40,657 --> 00:34:42,916
Expect that reward and be okay with that.

827
00:34:42,916 --> 00:34:45,214
Keep in step with the Spirit,
keep marching, keep serving,

828
00:34:45,214 --> 00:34:48,199
and trust that He's gonna pay
you back when the time is right.

829
00:34:48,199 --> 00:34:48,889
Work is enjoyable.

830
00:34:48,889 --> 00:34:49,579
Go to www.

831
00:34:49,579 --> 00:34:49,808
fema.

832
00:34:49,808 --> 00:34:50,726
org to learn more.

833
00:34:53,907 --> 00:34:54,996
When the reward is inevitable.

834
00:34:56,036 --> 00:34:57,387
This is sanctified self interest.

835
00:34:57,957 --> 00:34:59,687
I'm expecting an eventual
return on my investment.

836
00:35:00,167 --> 00:35:01,067
Because God is faithful.

837
00:35:01,857 --> 00:35:06,267
And He says, He says, We will
reap, in verse, verse 9, We'll

838
00:35:06,267 --> 00:35:07,247
reap if we don't give up.

839
00:35:07,587 --> 00:35:08,697
We'll reap if we don't give up.

840
00:35:08,727 --> 00:35:10,107
Men, don't give up in doing good.

841
00:35:10,747 --> 00:35:11,757
Keep producing fruit.

842
00:35:13,197 --> 00:35:15,237
We can expect God to give us a large ROI.

843
00:35:15,907 --> 00:35:17,737
And there's a lot to change the
way that we pursue doing good.

844
00:35:19,357 --> 00:35:20,507
So we looked at a good metric.

845
00:35:20,507 --> 00:35:23,932
And We now have a good motivation
that Paul gives us and now we're gonna

846
00:35:23,932 --> 00:35:25,562
look at a good method, a good method.

847
00:35:25,582 --> 00:35:29,602
I want to give you a way to approach this
that will help you make decisions because

848
00:35:29,602 --> 00:35:31,202
there's always opportunity to do good.

849
00:35:31,332 --> 00:35:33,042
But here's how Paul tells
us to approach this.

850
00:35:33,332 --> 00:35:37,392
I want you to look again at our text
Galatians but I'm only gonna read verse 6

851
00:35:37,392 --> 00:35:38,642
and we're gonna skip on down to verse 10.

852
00:35:38,642 --> 00:35:40,712
This is the brackets that
frame this entire section.

853
00:35:41,532 --> 00:35:42,932
Pointed it out to you,
but let me read it again.

854
00:35:42,932 --> 00:35:45,002
Galatians 6, starting at verse 6.

855
00:35:45,182 --> 00:35:48,612
Let the one who is taught, let
the church, uh, share all good

856
00:35:48,612 --> 00:35:49,642
things with the one who teaches.

857
00:35:50,527 --> 00:35:54,257
Paul wants you to do good to the
church, particularly the pastors

858
00:35:54,257 --> 00:35:55,307
in this case, your teachers.

859
00:35:55,747 --> 00:35:59,347
Verse 10, he closes this section,
so then in reaping and sowing, as

860
00:35:59,347 --> 00:36:04,187
we have opportunity, let us do good
to everyone, your neighbors, your

861
00:36:04,187 --> 00:36:06,867
sister, your uncle, your brother,
your, your, your, your congressman,

862
00:36:07,197 --> 00:36:08,637
your, your, your councilwoman.

863
00:36:09,017 --> 00:36:14,137
Do good to everybody and
especially prioritize those who

864
00:36:14,137 --> 00:36:15,627
are of the household of faith.

865
00:36:15,727 --> 00:36:16,787
Who's the household of faith?

866
00:36:18,067 --> 00:36:18,827
The church, right?

867
00:36:19,337 --> 00:36:21,487
The people that are right here,
this is the household of faith.

868
00:36:22,127 --> 00:36:22,987
This is your church.

869
00:36:24,057 --> 00:36:25,537
It's sad, but it's true.

870
00:36:26,617 --> 00:36:31,907
Your familial connections,
most of them, are temporary.

871
00:36:32,947 --> 00:36:35,487
Unless they become believers, and if
they're believers, praise God for that.

872
00:36:35,487 --> 00:36:37,027
That's a double family member.

873
00:36:37,037 --> 00:36:38,017
I love that, and I want that.

874
00:36:38,017 --> 00:36:38,717
I pray for that.

875
00:36:39,347 --> 00:36:42,357
But the reality is, you're gonna
be spending more time in eternity

876
00:36:42,357 --> 00:36:44,607
with people around you right here
than you are spending the time

877
00:36:44,677 --> 00:36:45,937
in eternity with your bloodline.

878
00:36:46,762 --> 00:36:47,602
We pray for our family.

879
00:36:47,602 --> 00:36:48,982
We should expect that our
family is going to know.

880
00:36:48,992 --> 00:36:50,102
We want, we want that.

881
00:36:50,682 --> 00:36:52,222
But the reality is, this is permanent.

882
00:36:53,762 --> 00:36:56,402
While family, in many
respects, will be temporary.

883
00:36:59,502 --> 00:37:01,952
Paul then focuses our efforts.

884
00:37:01,952 --> 00:37:02,912
He says, do good to everybody.

885
00:37:02,962 --> 00:37:03,882
Do good to everybody.

886
00:37:03,882 --> 00:37:04,582
Everybody deserves your good.

887
00:37:04,812 --> 00:37:07,312
You see someone on the side of the
road to, you know, change a tire?

888
00:37:07,332 --> 00:37:07,662
Great.

889
00:37:07,692 --> 00:37:08,192
Help them out.

890
00:37:08,572 --> 00:37:10,892
You have an opportunity to do
good to your wife and your kids.

891
00:37:10,892 --> 00:37:11,402
Do good.

892
00:37:11,412 --> 00:37:11,822
Do it.

893
00:37:12,062 --> 00:37:12,362
Do it.

894
00:37:12,402 --> 00:37:13,272
Do good to everybody.

895
00:37:14,372 --> 00:37:15,292
But prioritize.

896
00:37:15,682 --> 00:37:16,052
Focus.

897
00:37:16,402 --> 00:37:18,712
Emphasize the good that
you do to your church.

898
00:37:18,982 --> 00:37:22,282
Point number three, you ought to seize
opportunities to do good to your church.

899
00:37:22,492 --> 00:37:22,882
Seize 'em.

900
00:37:23,242 --> 00:37:25,552
I mean, you notice your Paul's
trying to be opportunistic for you.

901
00:37:25,557 --> 00:37:28,822
He, he wants you to say, look, as
you have opportunity, and granted you

902
00:37:28,822 --> 00:37:31,012
have lots of opportunity, don't you,
the opportunities come left, right?

903
00:37:31,012 --> 00:37:32,092
There's opportunity all over the place.

904
00:37:32,902 --> 00:37:34,612
But he says, look, do good to your church.

905
00:37:35,332 --> 00:37:38,092
Do good, find opportunities
and seize them.

906
00:37:38,092 --> 00:37:39,562
This is Kingdom investment.

907
00:37:39,892 --> 00:37:41,992
Kingdom investment, and again, I'm
gonna give you two reasons for this.

908
00:37:41,992 --> 00:37:43,702
Number one, the church is your family.

909
00:37:44,032 --> 00:37:45,472
The household of faith is your family.

910
00:37:46,397 --> 00:37:48,847
You guys are thicker, I mean,
blood is thicker than water,

911
00:37:48,847 --> 00:37:49,847
spirit is thicker than blood.

912
00:37:49,857 --> 00:37:52,427
You are united by the blood of
Christ and the spirit of God.

913
00:37:52,677 --> 00:37:54,237
This is a permanent institution.

914
00:37:54,407 --> 00:37:55,807
Your family and your permanent.

915
00:37:56,457 --> 00:37:58,907
That's why Paul's concerned that you
don't treat each other just like strangers

916
00:37:58,907 --> 00:38:00,747
who get together at, at the local club.

917
00:38:01,067 --> 00:38:02,037
This is not the Y.

918
00:38:02,097 --> 00:38:04,417
This is, this is not an, you
know, this is not a business club.

919
00:38:04,907 --> 00:38:06,117
No, this is, this is not a frat.

920
00:38:06,667 --> 00:38:08,707
This is, I mean, again, this
is a fraternity of brothers,

921
00:38:09,357 --> 00:38:11,757
brothers, but brothers who are
bought by the blood of Christ.

922
00:38:11,917 --> 00:38:13,097
He wants you to feel the weight.

923
00:38:13,627 --> 00:38:15,167
of responsibility for
the brother next to you.

924
00:38:15,167 --> 00:38:17,837
Remember Jesus asked the
question, answered the question,

925
00:38:17,837 --> 00:38:18,737
he said, who is my neighbor?

926
00:38:19,437 --> 00:38:21,847
And Jesus said, basically the
person sitting next to you, right?

927
00:38:21,847 --> 00:38:24,637
You have an obligation to whoever's
near you to, to, to serve them and to

928
00:38:24,637 --> 00:38:25,947
do good to them if you have opportunity.

929
00:38:26,267 --> 00:38:30,977
But especially so if that opportunity is
in the life of your brothers, those who

930
00:38:30,987 --> 00:38:34,157
are bound to you by spirit in the church.

931
00:38:35,827 --> 00:38:39,487
Someone once said, if you, if you want
to invest in what will last, invest

932
00:38:39,487 --> 00:38:41,387
in the church, that's in the church.

933
00:38:42,672 --> 00:38:45,932
Let me give you two reasons why.

934
00:38:45,932 --> 00:38:48,412
Reason why you ought to invest in the
church, as we started our sermon with

935
00:38:48,412 --> 00:38:50,002
this, is that your time is running out.

936
00:38:50,502 --> 00:38:51,182
Your time is running out.

937
00:38:51,182 --> 00:38:54,232
Jesus felt this pressure, and
he talks about this in John 9.

938
00:38:54,312 --> 00:38:57,892
He says this in John 9, verse
4, We must work the works of

939
00:38:57,892 --> 00:39:00,622
him who sent me while it is day.

940
00:39:01,442 --> 00:39:04,482
Night is coming when no one can work.

941
00:39:06,072 --> 00:39:08,712
Work the works of him who
sent me while it is day.

942
00:39:09,272 --> 00:39:10,792
Night is coming when no one can work.

943
00:39:10,812 --> 00:39:11,652
There, there is a time.

944
00:39:11,652 --> 00:39:14,632
There's an endpoint to your ability
to do good that God has given you to.

945
00:39:15,392 --> 00:39:16,992
Do you have a short time frame?

946
00:39:16,992 --> 00:39:18,332
And no one knows what that time frame is.

947
00:39:18,602 --> 00:39:21,202
The sands of time have been turned upside
down in your life, and the sands are

948
00:39:21,202 --> 00:39:25,462
dripping every moment, every hour, and the
opportunity that you have is evaporating.

949
00:39:26,362 --> 00:39:27,512
Take advantage of it, Jesus says.

950
00:39:27,932 --> 00:39:29,332
Night's coming when no one can work.

951
00:39:29,602 --> 00:39:32,762
And that night, is Jesus coming back,
or you die, or someone else dies?

952
00:39:34,162 --> 00:39:36,542
There's a thin line between
what we experience now and the

953
00:39:36,682 --> 00:39:38,602
inevitable, eventual eternity.

954
00:39:40,237 --> 00:39:43,687
One author says, Look, we're always going
to be too busy to help others unless

955
00:39:43,687 --> 00:39:47,777
we truly grasp the importance God puts
on our doing good deeds for others.

956
00:39:48,447 --> 00:39:51,107
I know one of the feelings that you have,
and it's the one I feel, I'm too busy.

957
00:39:51,627 --> 00:39:54,317
If I see someone on the side of the road,
and I think, Oh, should I pull over?

958
00:39:54,547 --> 00:39:55,037
I'm busy.

959
00:39:55,267 --> 00:39:55,647
I'm busy.

960
00:39:55,667 --> 00:39:56,467
I got a thing to do.

961
00:39:56,587 --> 00:39:57,307
I got someone to take.

962
00:39:57,537 --> 00:39:58,407
I'm going to this thing.

963
00:39:59,477 --> 00:40:01,677
And I grant, there's always going
to be opportunity to say, I,

964
00:40:02,107 --> 00:40:03,307
there's always chances to do good.

965
00:40:04,757 --> 00:40:06,237
Paul does want us to be opportunistic.

966
00:40:06,237 --> 00:40:08,027
He wants us to have a bias for goodness.

967
00:40:08,637 --> 00:40:09,857
A bias to do good.

968
00:40:10,297 --> 00:40:10,557
Why?

969
00:40:10,557 --> 00:40:11,707
Because your time's running out.

970
00:40:12,927 --> 00:40:16,287
You will reap what you sow, but
you'll only reap what you sow.

971
00:40:16,287 --> 00:40:19,027
You're not gonna, you're not gonna reap
something else that you didn't sow.

972
00:40:19,027 --> 00:40:21,227
You're not gonna be godlier if
you're not sowing seeds of godliness.

973
00:40:22,187 --> 00:40:24,277
First reason that you should
seize opportunities is

974
00:40:24,277 --> 00:40:25,337
because time is running out.

975
00:40:25,577 --> 00:40:27,637
The second reason you should
seize opportunities is

976
00:40:27,637 --> 00:40:29,417
because you won't regret it.

977
00:40:30,147 --> 00:40:30,857
You're not gonna regret it!

978
00:40:31,692 --> 00:40:34,932
You're never going to regret
giving Christ your efforts.

979
00:40:34,942 --> 00:40:36,672
You're never going to
regret serving your wife.

980
00:40:36,682 --> 00:40:38,672
You're never going to regret
doing good for the kingdom.

981
00:40:38,902 --> 00:40:41,562
You're never going to regret taking
someone through Partners, our

982
00:40:41,562 --> 00:40:42,812
one on one discipleship program.

983
00:40:43,002 --> 00:40:46,052
You're never going to regret
doing what Christ calls you to.

984
00:40:46,902 --> 00:40:47,602
Never going to regret that.

985
00:40:48,512 --> 00:40:51,612
Do you think it's possible
that you'll regret giving

986
00:40:51,612 --> 00:40:52,732
Christ too much of your life?

987
00:40:53,622 --> 00:40:54,532
Do you think that's possible?

988
00:40:55,042 --> 00:40:56,502
I mean, I remember seeing
this movie long ago.

989
00:40:56,512 --> 00:40:58,082
Oscar Schindler, Schindler's List.

990
00:40:58,522 --> 00:41:00,992
I know there's some, some scenes in
there that probably are not appropriate

991
00:41:00,992 --> 00:41:03,362
for people, and you just know that.

992
00:41:03,402 --> 00:41:04,062
I'm quoting it.

993
00:41:04,082 --> 00:41:05,352
I, I know there's stuff in there.

994
00:41:05,902 --> 00:41:07,292
But the end of the movie, powerful scene.

995
00:41:08,352 --> 00:41:11,562
Oscar Schindler is being escorted
out by the 1200 Jews that he

996
00:41:11,562 --> 00:41:13,232
saved during the Holocaust.

997
00:41:13,812 --> 00:41:14,612
He was a businessman.

998
00:41:14,612 --> 00:41:18,012
He hired them in his factory to protect
them from, from the concentration camps.

999
00:41:18,807 --> 00:41:21,237
And at the end of the movie
is he's been escorted out.

1000
00:41:21,247 --> 00:41:21,987
The war's over.

1001
00:41:21,987 --> 00:41:26,697
He's now being, he's now being,
uh, pursued as a, a war criminal.

1002
00:41:26,717 --> 00:41:27,587
They're going to try to get him.

1003
00:41:27,587 --> 00:41:29,447
And so there's Jews are saying,
Hey, get out of here quickly.

1004
00:41:29,807 --> 00:41:30,657
Thank you for saving us.

1005
00:41:30,817 --> 00:41:33,767
He, he's reflecting there
with his, uh, his supervisor.

1006
00:41:34,837 --> 00:41:36,177
And he looks at himself.

1007
00:41:36,487 --> 00:41:40,687
He looks at the things around him
and he says, I could have got more.

1008
00:41:41,777 --> 00:41:42,587
I could have got more.

1009
00:41:43,497 --> 00:41:45,587
He says to his supervisor,
I didn't do enough.

1010
00:41:45,927 --> 00:41:49,167
Supervisor tries to come and says, Sir,
Sir, Sir, you saved 1, 200 families here.

1011
00:41:49,847 --> 00:41:51,877
Generations of Jews
will thank you for this.

1012
00:41:52,587 --> 00:41:55,887
He looks around, he looks at his car, his,
you know, however much money that costs.

1013
00:41:55,887 --> 00:41:58,967
He looks at his car and says, this
car, it could have got 10 more.

1014
00:41:58,977 --> 00:42:00,407
I could have got 10 more Jews out of that.

1015
00:42:01,037 --> 00:42:05,317
He looks at his pin on his lapel, pulls
off his gold pin and says, two more right

1016
00:42:05,317 --> 00:42:07,497
here, two more, at least one, maybe two.

1017
00:42:08,757 --> 00:42:11,557
He laments not giving enough.

1018
00:42:12,592 --> 00:42:14,422
He had opportunity, didn't take it.

1019
00:42:15,182 --> 00:42:18,302
Do you think your Lord
will give you opportunity?

1020
00:42:18,312 --> 00:42:19,922
You're going to say, man,
Lord, I gave you too much.

1021
00:42:19,942 --> 00:42:21,292
I just, I sacrificed too much.

1022
00:42:21,292 --> 00:42:24,252
No, I think like Schindler, if there
is such a thing as regret, we're

1023
00:42:24,252 --> 00:42:25,392
going to say, I could have done more.

1024
00:42:25,682 --> 00:42:26,592
I could have done more.

1025
00:42:26,592 --> 00:42:27,522
I could have given more.

1026
00:42:27,522 --> 00:42:30,832
Why did I waste my time scrolling
that thing or watching that

1027
00:42:30,832 --> 00:42:31,982
thing or binging that series?

1028
00:42:32,662 --> 00:42:35,002
It's not bad, but man, it wasn't good.

1029
00:42:35,042 --> 00:42:36,892
I could have done so much
more good with my life.

1030
00:42:38,452 --> 00:42:39,342
Your time is running out.

1031
00:42:40,582 --> 00:42:44,052
You'll never regret
what you do for Christ.

1032
00:42:45,122 --> 00:42:48,962
Therefore, you ought to
prioritize your resources.

1033
00:42:49,292 --> 00:42:51,582
Prioritize your time,
talents, and treasures.

1034
00:42:51,992 --> 00:42:54,162
To do good to everyone,
but especially your church.

1035
00:42:54,672 --> 00:42:57,682
Your brothers, your sisters,
your spiritual grandkids.

1036
00:42:58,412 --> 00:42:59,132
Take care of them.

1037
00:42:59,422 --> 00:43:00,032
To love them.

1038
00:43:00,862 --> 00:43:01,812
Demonstrate goodness.

1039
00:43:01,812 --> 00:43:02,906
You know, take advantage.

1040
00:43:02,906 --> 00:43:07,142
If there's a meal train, you got the
funds, the resources, do the meal train.

1041
00:43:07,207 --> 00:43:11,657
You can drop off groceries anonymously to
your, your, your hurting brother or sister

1042
00:43:11,657 --> 00:43:13,337
who might be ashamed to receive your help.

1043
00:43:13,657 --> 00:43:13,967
Great.

1044
00:43:14,277 --> 00:43:15,227
Drop off the groceries.

1045
00:43:16,177 --> 00:43:20,097
You know that a family is struggling, a
marriage is on the rocks, pray for them.

1046
00:43:20,807 --> 00:43:22,527
Don't need to tell them, but maybe
a text from you saying, Hey, I'm

1047
00:43:22,527 --> 00:43:24,117
praying for you in this particular way.

1048
00:43:24,117 --> 00:43:24,787
That's encouraging.

1049
00:43:25,087 --> 00:43:26,907
Can't tell you how many times
I've gotten texts from somebody.

1050
00:43:27,147 --> 00:43:28,367
Just the right thing at the right time.

1051
00:43:28,807 --> 00:43:29,837
That is deeply encouraging.

1052
00:43:30,947 --> 00:43:31,687
I know you want that.

1053
00:43:31,907 --> 00:43:33,147
I know you want to live that kind of life.

1054
00:43:33,147 --> 00:43:33,497
Do that.

1055
00:43:34,292 --> 00:43:35,922
Typically what stops us
is, Oh, I'm too busy.

1056
00:43:35,932 --> 00:43:36,632
I don't want to bother.

1057
00:43:36,942 --> 00:43:37,662
I got this other thing.

1058
00:43:37,672 --> 00:43:38,172
Just do it.

1059
00:43:38,212 --> 00:43:39,252
You're never going to regret that.

1060
00:43:42,382 --> 00:43:46,012
You should eagerly and persistently
sow seeds of goodness because

1061
00:43:46,012 --> 00:43:46,682
you will reap what you sow.

1062
00:43:47,352 --> 00:43:47,972
God is faithful.

1063
00:43:47,972 --> 00:43:48,882
He will pay you back.

1064
00:43:49,112 --> 00:43:50,242
Seize the opportunities.

1065
00:43:50,652 --> 00:43:53,032
Bear the fruit that the
Spirit produces in your life.

1066
00:43:54,192 --> 00:43:56,312
Reminded, as we close
this here, of a poem.

1067
00:43:56,312 --> 00:43:57,112
Short, short poem.

1068
00:43:57,862 --> 00:43:59,822
And I've heard it, and you've probably
heard it a million times, but it's so

1069
00:43:59,822 --> 00:44:01,472
good, and it's so worth our consideration.

1070
00:44:02,362 --> 00:44:03,332
Only One Life.

1071
00:44:03,922 --> 00:44:08,082
'Twill soon be past, and only
what's done for Christ will last.

1072
00:44:09,102 --> 00:44:10,382
That's the end of the day for us, fellas.

1073
00:44:10,422 --> 00:44:11,082
That's what it is.

1074
00:44:11,512 --> 00:44:12,582
That's what this is all about.

1075
00:44:12,992 --> 00:44:14,282
We're here because that's what it's about.

1076
00:44:14,512 --> 00:44:17,512
We're investing our minds and our heart in
this because this is what it's all about.

1077
00:44:17,982 --> 00:44:20,502
I'm going to stand before Christ, and I
want to be able to give a good report.

1078
00:44:20,912 --> 00:44:23,972
I want to be able to, like David,
have people say, Rod was a good man.

1079
00:44:24,942 --> 00:44:25,792
Bryce was a good man.

1080
00:44:25,792 --> 00:44:26,652
Morgan was a good man.

1081
00:44:27,292 --> 00:44:28,292
Steve was a good man.

1082
00:44:28,632 --> 00:44:29,412
Love the Lord.

1083
00:44:30,137 --> 00:44:32,397
He was fierce in his devotion to the Lord.

1084
00:44:32,577 --> 00:44:34,257
And that bled into his family life.

1085
00:44:34,257 --> 00:44:35,627
That bled into his business life.

1086
00:44:35,627 --> 00:44:37,507
That bled into all that he did.

1087
00:44:37,507 --> 00:44:39,027
He was devoted to his church.

1088
00:44:39,027 --> 00:44:40,127
He prayed for his pastors.

1089
00:44:40,127 --> 00:44:40,907
He loved his brothers.

1090
00:44:40,907 --> 00:44:42,917
Man, this brother lived a good life.

1091
00:44:43,317 --> 00:44:44,537
Don't you want that said about you?

1092
00:44:44,777 --> 00:44:45,347
Of course you do.

1093
00:44:45,437 --> 00:44:45,997
Of course you do.

1094
00:44:46,857 --> 00:44:48,497
Start planting seeds now.

1095
00:44:48,497 --> 00:44:49,463
It's not too late.

1096
00:44:49,463 --> 00:44:51,876
No matter how young you
are, it's not too early.

1097
00:44:51,876 --> 00:44:54,047
No matter how old you are, not too late.

1098
00:44:54,047 --> 00:44:54,771
You got time.

1099
00:44:54,771 --> 00:44:57,908
As long as you have breath, it's
time to sow seeds of goodness.

1100
00:44:57,908 --> 00:44:58,632
Eagerly and persistently.

1101
00:44:59,122 --> 00:45:02,182
Because you will reap what you sow,
brothers, and you will never regret it.

1102
00:45:02,612 --> 00:45:02,962
Let's pray.

1103
00:45:03,282 --> 00:45:04,922
God, give us grace to sow seeds.

1104
00:45:05,552 --> 00:45:09,132
We want to be fruitful and faithful, and
we want you to be pleased with our lives.

1105
00:45:09,442 --> 00:45:12,172
I want to be able to say, we want
you to be able to say to us, well

1106
00:45:12,182 --> 00:45:13,202
done, good and faithful servant.

1107
00:45:13,232 --> 00:45:14,422
That's what our longing is, Lord.

1108
00:45:14,422 --> 00:45:15,302
That's what we desire to hear.

1109
00:45:15,302 --> 00:45:17,082
Please help us to get to that.

1110
00:45:17,582 --> 00:45:18,882
Help us to be faithful to that.

1111
00:45:19,262 --> 00:45:20,342
We ask this in Jesus name.

1112
00:45:20,652 --> 00:45:20,942
Amen.