Teachers of the Word: Part 2

Today we're doing Teachers of the Word, Galatians 6, 6-10, Part 2. We began this last week and looked at this kind of principle of reaping what we sow. Boy, don't you hate that to some extent. I think we hate that only because we try to put our own emotions and feelings and work effort into this. And I think the Scripture is really, as we drill down to more truth, really would have us really see this in a different way.

So we're going to continue this today, and we're going to read Galatians 6, 2 through 10 again to really provide us with the text and context. So who would like to read that? It shouldn't be me for sure. Margaret, go ahead please. 6, 2 through 10. Yes. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

For if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden. Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Okay, thank you. Alright, verse 9 picks up where verse 8 left off. And let us not grow weary while doing good.

For in due season we shall reap if we faint not." Let's look at this now in more detail. This is an exhortation and some commentators, I didn't go back and review this one for one, but there was one commentator who indicated that Galatians 5 through 1 to the end of the book there are 15 exhortations. And again I did not go back and enumerate each one for us, but this is one of those 15 that really is kind of kind of an imperative, if you will. You know, don't grow weary, all of us, in our well-doing. And the consequences we shall reap if we faint not.

Let's look in more detail. Who's us here? Let us not grow weary. Believers, okay. And, does the Holy Spirit grow weary? So this is really identification personified, is it not? I mean, I grew up plenty weary. I mean, my next point here is, you know, but he lives in an earthly body, doesn't he? I mean, the Holy Spirit, and think of the Lord Jesus Christ a little bit. Did he grow weary? Was he tired at times? Slept? Got rest? Of course, you know, the Holy Spirit lived fully through him.

But yet the earthly body gets weary, doesn't it? But what about the flesh? Does the flesh get weary? Now the flesh, all of the above. The earthly body, but the flesh which represents the power of the sin nature, the Adam nature, if you will, that grows weary, doesn't it?

Frequently, and always. I mean, in our own capacity, we will grow weary. But whether we're fatigued in our earthly body, the Holy Spirit never tires, does he? The new nature is never changing. And this, let us not grow weary while doing good, implies that ultimately, as led by the Spirit, we never grow weary. We grow weary physically. but in terms of the power of the Spirit in our life, we never grow weary. So in a sense, the exhortation, I think, if you will correctly interpret this, is really an act of faith. That our works reflect our act of faith, that we're being energized by the power of the Spirit to continue to do good. Everybody okay with that? Boy in the flesh, Doing good. How are you doing at that? Everybody doing okay? Making the mark? Anyway. Grow weary.

1 Thessalonians 3.13.

In fact, let's look at 2 Thessalonians 3.13. So whoever gets that first, go ahead and read that. But ask you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. That's all it says? That's fine. This is a volative, present, active, subjunctive. Boy, isn't that complicated?

So the best kind of paraphrase is, let us will to not keep on giving into evil while doing the good. Okay, so volative means it's kind of a will, self-will, decision-making process. Are we to live by faith? that ultimately we're going to, not to keep doing evil, but in fact doing good? I mean, in a sense, growing weary in the flesh is ultimately, I think, opening up doors to giving in to the evil and not doing good.

Doing good, the correct doctrine, justification by faith, right? I mean, think about the book we've been studying for the last year. Remember, Paul in the first chapter of Galatians said this other gospel. What's this other gospel? The law. How does the law behave in terms of the believer? It's a slave master. We're dead to it, but if we try to submit ourselves to it, it drags us down. And the Pharisees in their own mindset, were they trying to do good? They thought they were, aren't they? that this is another gospel.

The life of Christ is sufficient unto not growing worried by faith. It's a justification by faith. A principle of grace applied to our lives. This doing good always is in fact an exhortation, but yet it's by faith that ultimately this doing good translates into our earthly experience. We're going to get into this in more detail, but who's the judge here? Are we, in a sense, judging ourselves in this behavior? I don't think so.

One of the things I look at in the context of this verse, in the greater context of Galatians, is that these Judaizers were coming in and telling them how they should live, and it's oppressive, it's demoralizing, it's one of those things where as far as your volition is concerned, you feel hopeless. Why shouldn't I keep striving? Because I'm socially pressed to stop over and over again. But isn't it different when we will to live by faith? Well, exactly. That's the point and the only way that can be lived out.

But you can imagine that if you were trying to stand strong in a place where you're being told all the time, do the law, do the law, do the law, do these things, which is not doing good, That's got to be brutal. Paul's encouragement hit hard. Well, Randy, remember, the law was perfectly righteous and wholly correct, but what was the law's purpose? I mean, it's the schoolmaster to convict us of our inadequacies in the out of nature, to do good.

But in the process of learning that, it's pretty painful. Because you fail and fail and fail. Who will deliver me? But we recognize the failure for what it is, then we jump back upstairs and live by faith, right? And we'll kind of end with that theme here today. Let's look at these three verses. You know, often this is translated as do not lose heart rather than in fact growing weary. And in fact, most of the time, by the way, this verb, akakia, growing weary, is more often translated do not lose heart than growing weary.

Roger, Luke, Aitken, 1 Ingrid 2nd Corinthians 4.1 in verse 16 also in Gale Ephesians 3.13. Let's look at those three passages. Now he was telling them a parable to show them to show that all the things they ought to pray and not to lose heart. All right. Go ahead. Next. Let's see.

2 Corinthians 4.1 and 16. Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. Good. Okay.

Ephesians 3.13. Wherefore, I desire that you faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. Okay.

Faint not, losing heart. Kind of the same concept. And I've pointed out, you know, don't you like this better than growing weary? I mean, growing weary sounds so earthly, but not losing heart really reflects the atmosphere of faith that surrounds us, doesn't it?

Losing heart. I mean, that's where the spirit dwells and energizes. I think it reflects better the source of our doing good, this losing heart. I mean, again, we're bonded in heart and mind and soul to the Lord Jesus Christ, and losing heart is our faith falling short from the relationship He's created with us. The growing weary, goodness, when I think growing weary, I think flesh, flesh, flesh, because our flesh does grow weary, doesn't it? And just think about when we grow weary in the flesh, isn't there a sense of condemnation that exists there?

And remember, there's no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus, none. So let's think about losing heart, meaning that really very big heirs and sons of God relationship we have with the Lord Jesus Christ in terms of this principle. Everybody okay with that theme here? This is identification truth.

The new life in Christ does not grow weary. Our faith falls short. But the life never grows weary, never loses heart. And God sees us in his Son. There's no condemnation, O wretched man, to those that are in Christ Jesus. Yeah, Bob, he asked us to continue to believe in spite of the circumstances. Don't look at the circumstances. Look at me. Focus on me. Focus on who you are. So that's the choice. Do we focus on the circumstances or on Christ?

And there's one principle that we need to continue to be repeatedly reminded of. Where's our citizenship, right? Boy, I'll tell you, I'll speak for myself, get focused so much on earthly things and I lose at times the framework of citizenship and where it really exists. It always lifts us up and we don't grow weary when we in fact consider that in more detail.

Hebrews 12, I love this, for consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself. lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls." How's that for an identification verse? Isn't that great for this passage? Consider him who endured hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Goodness, the perfect righteous one, holy one, ultimately never growing weary despite the sin of the world, being antagonistic to his person and his purpose. Fantastic.

Alright, remember, reaping is what has been sown. So what was the principle that we discussed last week? Do tares give rise to wheat? That's what we're thinking about. The Interlater Grief, we will reap not fainting, future indicative accent. That means this reaping is something that's forthcoming but yet not apparent at the time. I love what JFB has shown here in his commentary.

Faint not, literally be relaxed. Stronger than be not weary. Weary of well-doing refers to the will. Faint not to relaxation of the powers. No one should faint as in an earthly harvest sometimes happens." Kind of an interesting perspective in terms of growing not weary means to be relaxed because in the relaxed perspective you don't grow weary, do you?

Isn't that the rest? I mean, I'm not going to overly say that this is the absolute perfect interpretation here, but I kind of liked it because the relaxation or rest we have in the Lord Jesus is one that doesn't grow weary. There's a rest and a peace that extends beyond the pressure of Christianity to be doing good all the time. It's a life. There's a rest in not growing weary, is there not? relaxation.

Interesting, I thought. How long have you waited to reap sometimes? Should we be focusing in on the reaping here? Kind of a dull group here today. Gail, thank you for volunteering to say something. I didn't say samba. It just reminded me of the idea of how long should we keep on praying for someone. Yeah, there we go. I began to pray for my family when I was safe. which was at the age of 12, about 12 and a half. And I had two little baby brothers, and one was born that summer when I was saved. I began to pray for the family right in that time frame.

Fifty years later, he came to the Lord. When should we give up? And I know a lot of times I didn't pray for him for a while, or I'd go to the Lord and say, okay, here we are again. I'm asking you the same thing over again. and 50 years later. That doesn't mean that the spirit wasn't working. It means that I couldn't see anything. Yeah, you know, it's so true.

My sister-in-law came to the Lord months before she went home to be with the Lord. My father-in-law, who was a Kierkegaardian theologist for years and years, came to a true saving knowledge when he was dying of cancer. Look at the Kim and Jim situation in our family, where all of a sudden we have a relationship with a daughter and a strange daughter and her husband. We'll see them at Christmas. I mean, constant communication. But then my brother, I don't know whether I'll see him again.

But anyway, I'm not sure that that prayer was ever answered the way I wanted it to be. But the point is, we never quit praying. We never quit. looking for the harvest, we keep praying for ultimately the outcome to be what we want. And if it's in God's will, certainly.

Sometimes we don't even know though. We never know. You pray for people or people have crossed your path and you don't have a clue what happened to that person and the Lord down the road. But the Lord still, as you pointed out Gil, the Lord could be working all that time But they're gone on somewhere else, but they do maybe come to another world. You never know. Yes, Stan? Well, if you... Excuse me. If you accept the fact that nothing is impossible with God, then you know that when you ask, it's possible. But if you grow weary and if you expect to reap right away, that can be depressing. That can change your perspective on eternal things.

And it's putting the focus on yourself, which is what the Jewish people did in the law, and not on God. So this fits very well with the whole message of Galatians, because it's putting the focus on God and falling under His sovereignty. Which is what the Jewish people didn't do. They fell under the sovereignty of the law and made the big mistake. They forgot about God.

1 Timothy 6.15 it says, which he will manifest in his own time. He who is the blessed and the only potentate, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. His time. It's not ours.

1 Timothy 2.6, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time. So this timing is upstairs, right? It's not for us. We sow, we don't necessarily reap. And we shouldn't even focus on the reaping. True. I mean, that's really, I think, the issue is you don't even focus on the reaping.

So the question is, what were our expectations anyway? Expectations always disappoint. Not always, but often disappoint. Think of the times you get frustrated. I'll speak for myself, but I think it's probably true of all of us. When the expectations are not fulfilled, we get disappointed and frustrated. That's for you. That's life. And God's eternity doesn't exist in a temporal kind of mindset that we all have in terms of our day-to-day existence. Yes? Can you imagine how Paul would have felt if he didn't have his focus on eternal things?

I mean, all the beatings and Jewish people hating him. I mean, think of his life. I mean, the shipwrecks. I mean, good grief. I mean, every morning he got up, it was kind of like, you know, he could have said, well, I wonder what's going to happen to me today, or I wonder what God has in plans for me today through the Holy Spirit, you know? And it's all perspective. Wow, the guy was just, you know, you couldn't beat him down physically, or mentally, or spiritually. To me, that guy was just amazing.

Yeah, doesn't that make you at times feel like we need to kind of be more Paul-like? And then you kind of think, well, who's making this decision anyway? I mean, it's kind of a martyr's kind of role. Gee, if I could be shipwrecked, I might grow more in grace. I mean, but no, we all look at Paul because he's an earthly citizen, right? Who's ultimately heavenly position, but he's living this earthly life we're all living.

Yeah, I think the word is so practical, sometimes it really gets to the heart of the matter. I'm reminded of, I think there's a verse in Proverbs that says, hope deferred makes the heart sick. The Bible recognizes very plainly the things that go on within us, within our old man, within our, even within our new man, as we wait for answers to prayer sometimes. We just are saddened. Yeah, the Adam nature is very impatient, isn't it? At least mine is. James 5, 7, Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the earthly and latter rain.

I mean, principle there in terms of expectations being that God will hear our prayer, but necessarily the outcome is up to him, isn't it? But we continue to pray, continue to be uplifted by the power of the Spirit. My question to the class is who's the inspector of this crop anyway, this reaping principle? Are we there to approve our crop once it's harvested? First Peter, go ahead.

As I said, in my own life there have been a few occasions where the Lord has brought people back into my life after some years of being disconnected. Where they said, oh man, it was because of your testimony back in Denver that when I hit bottom I realized there was something to this relationship with God thing and I came to know the Lord.

And it was one of those things where I certainly had no expectation of that. I know my own failures. If I'm looking at what the flesh can do, it comes up short every time. It's not an impressive thing. You're going, wow, look, Randy screwed up again.

But the Lord uses the Holy Spirit to work through us, to reach people, and He knows about that reaping and that harvesting. And it's humbling that we would be used. And it's encouraging. It keeps us, hopefully, setting our minds on things above so that we don't grow weary. And it's one of those things where I, in my own life, am shocked that God would use me.

But when he does, it's like, wow, Lord, that is tremendous that such a thing could happen through this silly earthly vessel. Yeah, thanks for sharing it. That's really, it's personal, but it's something we all relate to, I think. Yeah, there are times that we all experience down the road some way.

It's something we've done or said by the power of the Spirit shows up. to be a crop that's worth consuming. Peter said, this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. Isn't that kind of interesting? This process of being led by the Spirit, doing good things by His power and strength, ultimately is a witness unto a lost world too, isn't it? We don't do it to be witnesses, we do it because we're empowered in the new man to reflect God's glory.

But yet the outcome is that the world looks at us as skeptical, that ultimately they see, I think, life in darkness, ultimately which may come to bear, as Randy's just shared. It's a lie, isn't it? And what the life bears is what it sows. And we are not in control of that outcome. We simply, as we live by faith, have a life that brings glory and God will, in his own timing, make that crop either be harvested to his glory or ultimately that crop will not bear. And ultimately I think that the outcome is in his view of the sowing, not in fact what we in fact think we're doing here.

Okay, verse 10. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are the household of faith. notice as we have opportunity, which could also be translated time, occasion, season, and every second of every day is not an opportunity. Could be, but may not be.

Right? Yeah, probably this kind of takes the pressure off as you have opportunity. Sort of like the one in Matthew, as you're going, that we're in cover recently, as you're going, as you're conducting your life, the opportunity affords itself and you say, Lord, I'll take Thank you for the opportunity. And we have plenty of opportunities, right? But we're not saying, gee, this is an opportunity. I mean, the point is, this is the life being lived out. There will be opportunities and occasions and seasons that the Spirit will avail for us, ultimately, to bring the message of the truth of who we are in Christ Jesus to the eyes of those around us.

Again, abolitive, present, middle, subjunctive. Complicated stuff, but if you will, let us willfully keep on working the good deed kind of concept. And that is not, gee, I'm going to be doing good today. I'm going to will to do good. No, the will is to live a life by faith that ultimately the power within us will be ultimately energized by the Holy Spirit. Can you enlighten me on what volitive means? Volitive is a willful act. Like volition? Volition. Right. So, you know, we all have a will, right?

And that will for the believer is to live by faith. I mean, the will isn't to intellectualize anything. The will is to actually engage our life in one that's laced and founded by faith. So in other words, the subjective, which means that it may happen, is dependent upon the will.

Yes. Let us willfully keep on working the good deed. subjunctive as opportunity avails itself. Notice it does say to all, doesn't it? Remember last week we covered all. All is all. It's not all, it's most, some of the time, part of the time. Everybody, the whole world around us is all. Colossians 4-5, walk in the wisdom towards those who are outside redeeming the time. Okay, so that's the world around us. Everybody, all, everybody should see these good deeds.

1 Thessalonians 5.15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all, for everybody, all the time.

Hard, isn't it? Particularly as the sinful nature of the flesh gets in the road here. I mean, how many times were you really offended and put back to respond defensively or in a reactionary manner? Here's kind of the key thing. When someone calls you up short or does something that is irritating to, willfully antagonistic, what's our response to be, to do good, which is the opposite of what our own nature wants to do. We want to get back and even the score. I'm going through something at work right now where my old man is in a very demanding mode. more lab space, removing my 15% cut in salary.

I'm done, anyway. Living by faith, huh? What is this? Titus 3.8, this is a faithful saying and these things I want you to affirm constantly that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to all men. This isn't the body of believers here. We're talking about everybody out there. These verses really say the world about us is taking note of our acts and deeds.

Yes, Stan? So if you were the Secretary of State, what would you do when it comes to something like North Korea? Oh, let's not go there here. No, that's evil though. I'm specifically asking because You know, you need to have a response for evil in the world.

You can't just go around with this unrealistic attitude of everything's always going to be good all the time. I mean, that's silliness. No. I mean, but I sense the appeal here is to the individual believer, right? Right. And not to international politics. But you know, you must myth that this is an issue that's before us all, right? All the time. I mean, but is our government making decisions based on who they are in Christ Jesus? No. Okay, so that's a bad example. Okay, let's say that you, let's say, bring it down more to a personal level.

How do you respond to the evil that's in your life? How do I respond to evil? It's directed at you and you have to be true. I see, I see. When we're feeling that we're being surrounded and influenced by the evil around us. Well, how do we deal with that? That's a tremendous challenge. I've been wrestling with and this brings in politics, but it's related. I've been wrestling with the TSA invasive security procedures.

I really feel like it violates rights we have as citizens and whatnot. But what the Lord has convinced me of several times, and even these verses here point to it, if I'm chosen to be routed through those violations of my rights, that's an opportunity right there to blow those TSA agents' minds with grace. You're violating my rights.

You're doing things to me that I certainly would not prefer anyone ever do to me. And I can come to you and I can say, you know, it's amazing that man has fallen to such a state. Isn't it good that God sent his son to redeem us and save us so that we wouldn't face the wrath of God for the kinds of sins people are perpetrating in the world? You know, it's not something that the flesh wants to do.

The flesh wants to throw a punch at somebody and, you know, get arrested. The Spirit works. Margaret Zipker left place. But the Holy Spirit can call us even into that situation. The Lord has brought a number of stories into my life of various people where He did things. They were in the lowliest of the states as some of the hymns have put so well. And He use something to encourage them in that place, and we may be evangelists in the security line in Denver International Airport. I consider it wicked, it's evil, but it's something that the Holy Spirit may still use. Tomorrow morning I'm going to travel through DIA, and I lost some sleep over it because I was a little stressed out, and I realized this is something the Lord could use. Maybe I'll see you in the line tomorrow.

But there are times in your personal and professional life that sometimes you are almost demanded that you do something that is totally against what your beliefs are and you have to act sometimes in a rather Negative way to, because you can't jeopardize your standards, I guess, and your beliefs, and you have to confront those situations, not evilly, but negatively. We're not doormats, are we? No. I mean... I mean, the world sometimes thinks we are. If you're a Christian, then you would just let, you know, you will let, you will turn the other cheek. Always, always, always. You can't do that.

Well, the example of Paul, which I'm just reading in Acts right now, he's talking about, you know, toward the end of Acts, and, you know, he stands on the fact that he's a Roman citizen. I mean, they beat him, they do things that they aren't supposed to do, and he goes back and says, hey, you can't do this, I'm a Roman citizen. It's a good example.

You know, the truth of the Word of God ultimately is what we want to prevail in our lives, right? And that's not a doormat at times. Sometimes we stand on truth and it could be maybe you know, something the world doesn't like. But yet, it's still, it can be spirit-led and it's truth proclaimed in the way we respond. I just wanted to go back to the TSA thing for a moment. There's been a lot of this on Facebook and everything, of course, everywhere.

I don't fly real often, but I did fly in October. And I do not like to fly. and I had a really pretty good pat down because I've got metal knees. So I took the thing off. And the lady that did it was very nice in the way she handled me in regard to telling me exactly what she would do each step of the way and so forth. And when the whole thing was over with, I automatically, without thinking about it, said, thank you. She nearly fell over.

She said, nobody ever says that. we are the most hated people on the planet because of the comments and attitude that they get from everybody they have to deal with. And I thought, you know, who goes to work every day knowing that they're going to be treated like that? And they're in a position where they have to do what they've been told to do. That's right, that's their job description.

And I occasionally fall short of recognizing that. I have an insulin infusion pump. I can take everything off of my belt except this. it's connected to my body. And it does not go off. And I think occasionally when Adam shows up, I must admit I'm kind of late getting in. I said, but it didn't go off. But, you know, but, but, but, but, but.

And so anyway, you know, a couple of TSA guys have been sympathetic. They say, why don't you just stick it in your pocket? Well, you know, stick it in my pocket, then this thing hangs out. So what I got to do anyway, if I can discreetly unbutton my shirt and stick it in my underwear, then I can go through.

Believe me, I travel a lot, and I think most of the time I'm okay in recognizing. That's why I get to the airport early. Occasionally, I'll be responding in the good old Adam nature. I like the time you just unzipped your pants and dropped your pants in the water. I think you should do that more often. It's just going on the internet. We'll edit that out. Never mind. The TSA thing has gone a little too far here.

I think if you did that every time, it would be a witness to other people. In my trip back from Chicago, I got the full path down, which I expect going forward at this point. I travel a lot, so the Lord Jesus Christ has to show up here part of the time. Part of the time he's there, but occasionally he's not, in terms of my response to this situation. A missionary to China that was in captivity and his jailer said, I'm going to kill you. Aren't you afraid? And he says, that's all you can do. His response was focused not on the temporal but on the eternal.

I think that fits right in here as an example. Okay, so this first deals with our response to the entire world around us, but by the way, particularly to the body. Okay, so let's look at this in a little bit more detail. Oikios is members of the household, and that's those of faith. And I think it applies not only to the church around us, but to our own home and people who are, you know, in our own families. So this is, you know, something that we need to put on each and every day.

So let's look at Ephesians 2.19 and 1 Timothy 5.8.

So Ruthie, would you do Ephesians 2.19 and Pat, 1 Timothy 5.8, please? Now therefore, You are no longer strangers or foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

Now she who is really a widow and left alone trusts in God and continues to in supplications and prayers night and day. That doesn't sound right. Oh, I'm sorry, that's fine, I'm sorry. But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Okay, and there are other verses that call us to the body in preference, but the world too, all of this verse deals with all. Overall, doesn't this endless doing of good works for the world around us and to the body seem like just an impossible task? But do we have any excuses? I mean, this isn't, oh, by the way, if you feel good about this, keep doing good, right? What's the excuse? Oh, God, I don't feel like doing this. Well, yes, Dan.

Okay, ask it in a different way and say, what would the condition of the world be if people weren't out there doing good works? I would challenge that, no, I agree with that question, but I would challenge you that there are people not of the faith who have more good works than those of the body of Christ, right? I didn't say of the faith, I'm saying people who do good works for whatever motivation. And I agree with you. I think sometimes there's more people out there who are not of the faith that are doing good works and things that need to be done than maybe people of the faith.

But the Lord uses those things too. All those things. But the key thing is, their motivation is, they're like the people under the law. Their motivation is, I'm going to collect these bunch of good works. Here God, this is what I've done. Don't I deserve to be in your heaven now? That was the view of my late brother, Roger. Exactly that. I've done plenty of good things. He had this list of things as a principal of a big high school in Ohio. All the kids whose lives he touched. I could deny that there were good things that he'd done.

Let God be the judge, right? Boy, isn't that comforting? Isn't that the rest and relaxation and perspective of not growing weary that really applies to our day-to-day life? It's no excuse. We have no excuse. But it gives us a view of these works that ultimately are not in our position to judge. It's God who ultimately judges the works.

So important. Are you doing all the good you can? Boy, talk about growing weary and well-doing. And what kind of metrics are we applying here? Are we applying earthly or heavenly metrics to these works that we're doing? We're not the one that ultimately is going to be judging these anyway.

In light of Ephesians 2.10, that those works are things that God missed an opportunity if we're abiding. And the other side of that is if we didn't miss, or if we did, you know, let's say I missed an opportunity, I'm justified and grace is poured out anyways and God is glorified through that grace. So we don't, sweating it is being selfish. And what you just said really leads him perfectly.

Let's keep looking down, applying 2 Corinthians 3.18 to our lives and let him be the judge, right?

I mean, 2 Corinthians 3.18, this, as you will, our lives as a reflection of the Lord Jesus Christ as mirrors moving forward in terms of the good works that we do.

I mean, this is a life. This is an effort. This is a belief system played out in each and every one of us, day in and day out. This is not simply trying to do good to please God. The Rock. Let's look at it. We're going to be doing 1 John to follow. Randy and Roger and I have the privilege of teaching 1 John. And I'm excited about this because when you're well-founded and tall, 1 John is great stuff. So let's look at these seven verses to kind of get a sense of this discrepancy between good and evil played out in our lives. Randy, please.

Do not be surprised brethren if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know, love, by this, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before him. Boy, what do you make of that? It doesn't sound very selfish at all. Read the first verse in that section again. Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. Okay, next verse. We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Okay, so let's just kind of quickly, kind of tangentially go to this. To love the brethren. How are you doing there? Everybody doing great there, loving the brethren? Well, your expectations are so high. You have high expectations. You know, in the power of the flesh, under legal principles, we can never love the brethren as the Lord Jesus Christ loved us. But in the power of the Spirit in the new man in Christ Jesus, that love for the brethren is automatic by faith.

It's a life, isn't it? It's not an effort or a set of deeds that we have to respond to. It's a life. I love this and I've been criticized because I do by brothers in the Lord, but you don't have to like each other. We don't have to like each other. We have to just love them. But if that doesn't take the principles of God in terms of good deeds to all men at all times forward, I don't know what does. Well, don't you think that, to break it down to the truth of the matter, each and every one of us love on a continuum, and it kind of depends on the circumstances that we're under, the emotional stress that we have, and a lot of the other things that are going on in our lives. God's love is absolute. It's all the way to the right. It's agape love. It's perfect love. Perfect love casts out fear.

But man lives somewhere on that continuum, and hopefully we're gradually going farther to the right throughout time as we become more and more faithful in our walk. We don't ever, anyway I don't, I don't fit on that continuum any day at the same place any time.

And my relationship between people varies. I mean it depends on where I'm at that particular day and what's affecting me. Sometimes I just have to will it, other times it comes easy. But it's a life, isn't it? It's not a day-to-day decision to do good things for God.

I'm thinking of the verse where Jesus said that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. And when I, even this week, I know I failed a lot, but when my focus is on me, rather than, I'm miserable, rather than recognizing loving other people is his yoke and his burden. And He gives me what I need to do that when my focus is in the right place. And what did Christ Himself say when He was challenged to say, how do I do the works of God? What are the works of God? What was Christ's answer to that? Believe on Him whom He has sent. Believe on Him whom He has sent. And love one another as I have loved you.

And again, that's a life. It's a walk. It's a person. It's not our working harder to try to achieve that purpose. As we think now of coming to the end of Galatians, we're going to see in the next part of Galatians how this new life is really one of sacrificial love. And Paul gets pretty subjective here at the end, kind of letting his whole soul hang out here. And we're going to culminate with some just absolutely outstanding verses that Randy or Roger are likely going to be teaching.

But God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Boy, is it that profound. There's no glory here. We take no credit. The world's crucified unto us and us unto the world. Isn't that great? So this is what we get. Bob, I just want to think about what Stan said and others shared.

The only way we can love one another is by focusing on Christ, by trusting Him. If we're down on the plane of myself between Randy and I said I'm going to love Randy and I'm focused on that. I won't love Randy. I only can love Randy by focusing on the Lord.

And it's kind of counter logic. You think, well, wait a minute. This doesn't sound right. But that's the logic of God. To focus on Christ, to love Randy. Paul says what Roger is saying. So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. That also goes on in the 19th. Amen. It's that same principle, but it's We can't fully understand and comprehend all of God's love without all the saints.

We grow together in that. If we're not loving one another, we're not growing in God's love. And that love is His love, right? It's not something we work at. It's an act of God's great grace by our faith in responding to the truth of who we are in Christ Jesus. Let's close.

Lord, thanks for these passages. It seems like an impossible task, doesn't it, for us to continue to do all these good things that your name may be glorified. But as we have a rest and a belief system in what you've called us to, that life does bear fruit. And that fruit is ultimately to be reaped in your great harvest before us. May we not focus on the outcome, but on the life, and respond by faith in the truths you've given us. In Jesus' name we pray. Boy, man.