Chapter 25
WE ARE TO DO GOOD TO ALL
(Galatians 6:6-10)
Let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God,
We come before You in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Father, please open our eyes, our ears and our hearts so we can know You better and have a better understanding Your Word. Please help us to yield to the Holy Spirit to lead us to the tasks and activities He wishes to accomplish through us.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
Let us begin by reading the Scriptures which are the theme of this study.
Galatians 6:6-10
"[6] Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. [7] Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. [8] The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. [9] Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. [10] Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
Within the above Scriptures the Holy Spirit provides us with at least the following three major principles of the Christian life,
1. We are to help support the elders of the church.
2. We reap what we sow.
3. We are to do good to all.
With this short introduction we begin our study by noting that,
WE ARE TO HELP PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE ELDERS OF THE CHURCH
This command from the Holy Spirit is recorded for us in,
Galatians 6:6
"[6] Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor."
To further expand upon this command let us explore Paul's instruction to the church in Corinth concerning the material support for those who provide for their spiritual needs. It is recorded for us in,
1 Corinthians 9:6-14
"[6] Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living? [7] Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? [8] Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? [9] For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned? [10] Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. [11] If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? [12] If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. [13] Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? [14] In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel."
Let us notice the following verses,
6-7 … With examples from the secular world, God the Holy Spirit, through Paul, used these examples to show that those who perform physical labor for the benefit of others receive nourishment and/or finances for their labor.
8-11 … With the previous illustrations as a foundation, the Holy Spirit teaches us that, in like manner, those who provide spiritual nourishment and support to others should also expect to receive from them the physical finances and/or food for their physical needs.
12(a) … Another way to look at this is by noting that when we take a secular class at school or attend a secular seminar we pay for it. Should we not feel the same obligation towards those who provide spiritual instruction or encouragement to us?
12(b) … So as not to hinder the Gospel, Paul and Barnabas preached and taught using their own funds. First of all, they did this to be an example to the church that one must work for their physical necessities. To see this let us read from,
2 Thessalonians 3:6-10
[6] But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. [7] For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; [8] nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, [9] not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. [10] For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat
Secondly, so no one in the church could think that their only interest was to sell or peddle God's Word, they offered it free of charge. To see this let us read from,
2 Corinthians 2:17
[17] For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.
Let us now return to Chapter 9 of 1 Corinthians and notice verse,
13 … God the Holy Spirit reminds us that the Old Testament priests and Levites, who ministered and served in the Temple, received their physical nourishment or food from portions of the sacrifices that were offered on the altar. To refresh our memory let us read from,
Deuteronomy 18:1-4
[1] “The priests, the Levites—all the tribe of Levi—shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and His portion. [2] Therefore they shall have no inheritance among their brethren; the Lord is their inheritance, as He said to them. [3] “And this shall be the priest’s due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it is bull or sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach. [4] The firstfruits of your grain and your new wine and your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.
With this in mind let us return to Chapter 9 of 1 Corinthians and notice verse,
14 … Even though Paul and Barnabas did not expect or ask to receive material support for their spiritual labors that did not relieve the churches' responsibility to help provide the material support for those who provide for their spiritual nourishment and comfort.
It must be pointed out that our material giving to the elders, who provide for our spiritual needs, must be in accordance with the guidelines we learned in chapter 24. Specifically, we are to only give what we can afford.
Now with all this in mind let us summarize this portion of our study with the following thought,
1 Timothy 5:17-18
"[17] The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. [18] For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages.""
The second principle or instruction we received from the Scriptures of our theme is that,
WE REAP WHAT WE SOW
This principle is recorded in,
Galatians 6:7-8
"[7] Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. [8] The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."
Perhaps the best way for us to gain more insight into the truth of this spiritual principle is by exploring the examples of Abraham and Solomon. As we will see Abraham sowed to the Spirit and received great spiritual rewards. On the other hand, King Solomon sowed to his flesh and reaped great sorrow.
We begin by seeing that,
ABRAM (renamed Abraham) SOWED TO THE SPIRIT
For an example of how Abram sowed to the Spirit let us read what Abram did after he rescued his nephew, Lot, and all of Lot's possessions that were captured or taken by Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiim. Once they were safely back in Sodom we first of all find that,
ABRAM PROVIDED MATERIAL GOODS TO GOD'S PRIEST, MELCHIZEDEK.
To see this let us continue our reading from,
Genesis 14:17-20
"[17] After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). [18] Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, [19] and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. [20] And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything."
Let us notice the following verses,
18 … Melchizedek was a priest of God. In fact, to help us understand the priesthood of Jesus Christ, in the New Testament book of Hebrews the Holy Spirit uses the example of Melchizedek's priesthood.
19-20(a) …Melchizedek imparted spiritual blessings upon Abram.
20(b) … Abram gave Melchizedek material blessings in gratitude for the spiritual blessings.
We also discover that,
ABRAM DID NOT TAKE ANY OF THE SPOILS OF WAR FOR HIMSELF.
Let us continue our reading from,
Genesis 14:21-24
"[21]"The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself." [22] But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath [23] that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.' [24] I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me--to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share.""
Let us notice the following verses,
21 … The King of Sodom wanted the people for himself and offered Abram all the material spoils from the war.
22-23 … Abram did not want to be beholding to the King. He wanted to completely rely upon God for his provisions. Hence, Abram, in accordance with his prayer, did not take spoils from the war for his own personnel gain.
24 … Abram only requested the people be given what belonged to them.
ABRAM'S REWARD, THE REAPING
To find what Abram reaped from his sowing to the Spirit, let us read from,
Genesis 15:1-6
"[1] After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." [2] But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" [3] And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." [4] Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." [5] He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." [6] Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness."
Let us notice the following verses,
1 … God was and is Abram's reward!
4-5 … God promised that He would make Abram the father of many descendents. As we discovered in our earlier studies, not only did God provide Abram with many physical descendents, that is the nation of Israel, but He also made Abram to be the father of the faith. In other words, Abraham became the father of many spiritual descendents. Specifically, he is the father of the true disciples or followers of God. This includes us, the born again believers in Jesus Christ. To see this let us read from,
Galatians 3:29
[29] And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
In contrast to Abraham, we find that,
KING SOLOMON SOWED TO HIS FLESH
As we look to the example of Solomon we must remember that at the beginning of his reign as King of Israel, Solomon loved God. This is recorded in,
1 Kings 3:3
"[3] Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes of his father David, ..."
Unfortunately, somehow and somewhere Solomon got turned around from his love for God and sowed to his flesh. To see this we will explore four examples: (1) the building of Solomon's house, (2) his accumulation of horses, (3) his accumulation of foreign wives and (4) his enormous wealth.
Let us begin with,
THE BUILDING OF SOLOMON’S HOUSE
To see how Solomon sowed to his flesh rather than to God, we begin by noting the difference in the time and effort he applied to the construction of his palace verses the time and effort he applied to the construction of God's Temple.
King Solomon spent thirteen years in the construction of his house. This is recorded in,
1 Kings 7:1
"[1] It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace."
In addition, King Solomon's house was 150 feet long and 75 feet wide. (It is noted that one cubit equals one and one half feet.)
1 Kings 7:2
"[2] He built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon a hundred cubits long, fifty wide and thirty high, with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams."
However, King Solomon only spent seven years building the Lord's Temple. This is recorded in,
1 Kings 6:37-38
"[37] The foundation of the temple of the LORD was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv. [38] In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. He had spent seven years building it."
We also discover that the Lord's house, as compared to King Solomon's house, was only 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. To see this we go to,
1 Kings 6:2
"[2] The temple that King Solomon built for the LORD was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high."
As we continue to read from the book of I Kings we also discover that,
KING SOLOMON AMASED NUMEROUS HORSES AND CHARIOTS
To see this, let us read from,
1 Kings 10:26-29
"[26] Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. [27] The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. [28] Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue --the royal merchants purchased them from Kue. [29] They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans."
Let us notice the following verses,
26, 28 and 29 … Solomon disobeyed God’s command for the king of Israel to not amass large amount of horses or go to Egypt to purchase them. To see this let us read what God said to Moses for the behavior of the king. To do this we go to,
Deuteronomy 17:14-16
[14] “When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ [15] you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. [16] But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’
The Bible also reveals to us that,
KING SOLOMON ACCUMULATED MANY FOREIGN WIVES.
This aspect of Solomon's life is recorded for us in,
1 Kings 11:1-8
"[1] King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter--Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. [2] They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. [3] He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. [4] As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. [5] He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. [6] So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done. [7] On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. [8] He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods."
Let us notice the following verses,
1-3 … King Solomon disobeyed God's command and married many foreign women, who were women who did not believe in the one true God of the Bible.
4-8 … Just as God warned Solomon, his non believing wives turned his heart away from God and Solomon fell into idolatry. To read God’s warning we return to Deuteronomy and read from,
Deuteronomy 17:17
[17] Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.
Also notice that the King of Israel was not to amass great amounts of gold or silver for himself. Unfortunately,
KING SOLOMON ACCUMULATED FOR HIMSELF AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF GOLD AND SILVER
Before we read about King Solomon’s wealth it is noted that according to Thomas Nelson’s New King James Bible for a day’s wage of $32, a gold Talent was worth approximately $5,760,000 and a gold Shekel was worth approximately $1,920.
With the above equivalents in mind let us now read about King Solomon’s wealth as it is recorded in,
2 Chronicles 9:13-20
[13] The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, [14] besides what the traveling merchants and traders brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. [15] And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield. [16] He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. [17] Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. [18] The throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests. [19] Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom. [20] All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.
As a consequence to all the sowing to his flesh, let us now read about,
THE SORROW THAT SOLOMON REAPED
As we continue our reading in 1 Kings we discover that because of the behavior of King Solomon, God told him that the Kingdom would be taken away from his off spring.
1 Kings 11:9-14
"[9] The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. [10] Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord's command. [11] So the LORD said to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. [12] Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. [13] Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen." [14] Then the LORD raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom."
In 1 Kings 12:1-33 we discover that under King Solomon's son, Rehoboam, the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms. The northern kingdom, identified as Israel, was composed of ten tribes. This Kingdom was initially under the rule of King Jeroboam. The Southern kingdom, called Judea, was composed of only two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. This kingdom, for the sake of King David, remained under the rule of King Rehoboam.
SUMMARY
Thus, we find that since Abram sowed to the Spirit he reaped great spiritual blessings from the Holy Spirit; whereas, Solomon sowed to his flesh and reaped sorrow and destruction.
It must be pointed out that this principle of reaping what we sow is also applicable to the non tangible areas of our life. For example, it also pertains to things such as where we spend our time, the books we read, the entertainment we participate in and the movies we watch.
Before we proceed to the third and last portion of this study, let us summarize what we have learned in this section by rereading,
Galatians 6:7-8
"[7] Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. [8] The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."
This brings us to the third and last principle or teaching for this study. Specifically,
WE ARE TO DO GOOD TO ALL
This command of our Lord is given throughout the New Testament. Since we are studying Paul's letter to the Galatians, let us read this command as it expressed in,
Galatians 6:9-10
"[9] Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. [10] Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
Let us notice the following verse,
10 … We are to not only do good to those who are fellow born again believers in Jesus Christ, but also to those who may be our enemies or as yet be an unbeliever. Another way to look at this is by reading what Jesus said during His sermon on the mountain,
Matthew 5:43-48
""[43] You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' [44] But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45] that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. [46] If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? [47] And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? [48] Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
THE MESSAGE
On the surface this command and the ones we previously studied sound very much like the Law. This raises the question of: "Is the Holy Spirit encouraging us to go back under the Law?" Absolutely not! For if our righteousness could come from observing the Law, then, as we discovered in previous studies, Jesus Christ died needlessly. To refresh our memories we go to,
Galatians 2:21
"[21] I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!""
In the framework of the whole New Testament, the Holy Spirit is teaching us to commit our lives to Jesus Christ. The Scriptures also reveal to us that when we commit our lives to Jesus Christ the fruits of the Holy Spirit will flow from within us. This is exactly what Jesus foretold would happen to those who thirst for godliness and come to Him to be born again of the Holy Spirit. To refresh our memories let us read from,
John 7:37-39
"[37] On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. [38] Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." [39] By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified."
As we reflect upon the above promise we must never forget that one of the fruits of God the Holy Spirit is love. This promise is recorded in,
Galatians 5:22
"[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,"
Consequently, as we yield ourselves to the influence of the Holy Spirit, it will be through His love flowing from within us that God the Holy Spirit will fulfill the just demands of the Law for us,
Galatians 5:14
"[14] The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself.""
Thus, by the love of the Holy Spirit flowing from within each and every born again believer, we will fulfill His command to do good to all.
CLOSING
Let us close this study by reading the following Psalm of praise,
Psalm 100
"[1] Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. [2] Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. [3] Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. [4] Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. [5] For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."
Amen and Amen