Sowing & Reaping — Robert B. Thompson

The Resurrection Body and the Consequences of Sowing

Send Corinthians 5. That's the Lord to help us Lord as we come unto you now. And it's with appreciation and thanksgiving Lord all that you have done and it has been marvelous or marvelous your faithfulness.

We pray for each family represented here Lord. You know the burdens of the heart. We pray you'll bring in our loved ones into your kingdom. Oh God. Help us Lord hear the cries that are going up to you now from the people here.

I pray in Jesus name and meet their needs and Lord as I Come unto you for the children Lord and their minister being ministered to bless those who are helping remember those in tape land Lord who will be hearing this tape and All of us together Lord that we will hear what you weren't said this morning.

Help us Lord through your Holy Spirit as we lift up the name of Jesus man. You may be seated and we'll read 2nd Corinthians 5 1 through 5 can read along. Well, we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down We have a building from God a house not made with hands to verse 5.

For indeed in this house We groan longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven in as much as we having put it on Shall not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent we groan being burdened because we do not want to be unclothed.

But to be clothed in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now he who has prepared us for this very purpose as God who gave to us this cave. What I want to talk to you about this morning this simple Passage that we just read in this life closeness to God opportunities for service authority and power in the spirit Bible promises.

But I want to talk to you just about one aspect of reaping body. The body that we're going to reap there are two bodies involved here the resurrection which is the great hope of Christianity doesn't body.

Make no mistake God is going to raise this body that we have from the dead. That's a central message of the gospel. God is going to raise this body that we have now that were not true. There'd be no resurrection, but Everyone shall be raised.

There's no question about being raised. Everyone. Jesus said in John 5 all that are in the grave shall hear his voice and shall come forth everyone Shall be raised. The issue is not being raised. Who is what you're raised to and that's what I want to talk about the consequences of our behavior to think about.

We like we like to try to play life as. Though you don't reap what you sow. Abuse our body eat wrong don't exercise. But we're hoping to reap health into the plastic and we hope to reap solvency as just human nature.

We're just hoping. The consequences will never catch up with us. Is that true? One of the main tenants of psychology is Teaching people that there are consequences responsible for his own behavior of dealing with people is Keeping out of the middle keep what they are sowing and that isn't easy.

That is not easy. To keep from being caught in the middle and the art of the thing Dances around to where people are the results of their behavior throughout life. Has to to a certain extent but other people are doing.

And some of this is profitable and proper says we were strong enough to bear infirmities of the week. Something God is saying to the church today in America. Well, it's been obscured or not. But that is the Bible principle of sowing and reaping.

In fact, I've heard this debated, but there's no debate. It's in the scripture it's in Galatians chapter 6 now I want you to listen carefully because To what is said this morning because it is important to you and as we're going on the internet.

This will be going out on the internet. It's important for Christians to understand reap what we sow what we sow. The basic law of the kingdom now in Galatians chapters 6. Starting with verse 7 and I want you to notice the context here.

This is not talking to the unsaved isn't talking to the Jews. It is talking to Gentiles in the Roman province of Galatia. Who are being? Propagandized By Jewish Christian teachers. Who were telling them they had to be circumcised and keep the law.

That's what the book is about. So we're not talking here with unsaved people. This is Shelled off on the unsaved. It's probably it is in fact Romans 2 it is true of all people. That we will reap what we sow we will be judged according to our works, but some tricks in Christian doctrine and so on have Left people with the impression that Christians are exempt on the basis of grace.

That is not the purpose of divine grace. To change what you reap. But you sow it is not the purpose of divine grace to change what you reap. The purpose of divine grace to change what you sow that is a critical understanding.

Because all of us are going to face the resurrection someday, and it's at the time of the resurrection. That is the main reaping time now in life. Many times we reap what we're sowing. Immorality can result in disease and Abusing your body can result in sickness.

But the big scene Is the day of resurrection. What you're resurrected to and I want to repeat this not change divine grace particularly forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. Gives you an ability to turn from sowing that which which is sin.

The wages of sin is death and The sinner comes to Jesus and and Jesus says hey, man. I'm going to give you a leg up. I'm going to forgive the sins that are past. Okay. Now let's get with the program and so you start off clean and you have God's Holy Spirit.

You have the body and blood of Jesus now. Get with the program. God will help you. Let's do what we're supposed to. That's Christianity. It is not an alternative to moral change. It is the means of enabling.

Moral change. That's a big difference that will make a big difference in how you live if you realize that grace is not Something you can fall back on when you don't do what you're supposed to. Grace enables you To do what you're supposed to and it has given you access.

Past the veil in heaven so that you can come before the father and get help in Jesus name in your time of need. Anecdotes that I'm writing up these days one thing that came to me is if you have heart problems.

Are not fun. They are not fun. Now. I do not recommend them you can keep from it is by laying off the grease. Lay off the fat. Become a low-fat kid. All the manufacturers are up to this now so you can get everything from low-fat Peanut butter to low-fat mayonnaise and low-fat.

Low-fat food it's there on the shelf, and it's not priced out of sight. And it tastes pretty good except for low-fat mayonnaise. I do not they haven't mastered that one yet. So I do indulge in regular mayonnaise, but the rest of it is cool.

I mean low-fat peanut tastes the same turkey sausage tastes the same they put in all its spices. So they can do it if you want to and you should exercise. I mean it's good for your heart to get it. Cranking up a few times a week not.

Become a couch potato now if you do these things and take your morning aspirin if you do these things. There's a good chance that you will Escape a lot of angina that you might otherwise have the privilege of experiencing, but grace doesn't cover the grease.

If you don't do these things. You may reap the consequences of your carelessness. And I think sometimes Christianity is presented as a way of having grace cover the grease. In other words you should live you should eat right you should exercise.

But if you don't there's good old grace in the background you will not reap what you're going to what you're selling. Not scriptural. So we look at Galatians 6 here. And I want to you can read the context more when you get home.

But there's no question that this is talking to the believers in Galatians. I mean up and both sides of the passage here is talking to Christians. Verse 10 for example in chapter 6 let us do good to all men.

Especially to those who are the household of faith not talk to the unsaved for heaven's sake. So that's important to understand because when this is read. Many times people yeah, but that's not talking to Christians because we're saved by grace.

Deception, Personal Responsibility, and the Church Community

Hey you one can fantasize if you want to but I mean if we're going to approach the Bible honestly. This is talking to Christians, so he says in Galatians 6 verse 7 Do not be deceived. I We're not condition of deception today.

Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. They look up to God and say well. You know I know I shouldn't fornicate and I know I shouldn't leave my wife or husband. And I know I shouldn't boys will be boys and girls will be girls.

I'm gonna save me anyway because you're a loving God. That's mocking God. See you're mocking you're saying all this you're saying. I'm smarter than you guys. I know how to play the game. I can do this and get by it and hey you're playing with the wrong guy.

Do not be deceived don't let the seat empty your mind. I think people would when I was in Ward there and Kaiser. There's a fellow next to he's going in for his third or fourth angioplasty. And what does the man have it in his head to go through for his third or fourth?

Angioplasty it's because. They get the artery cleared up, but they don't change their way of living. And what somehow it won't happen. Kids do that don't they don't you hate to see a young Teenager starting off smoking don't you hate to see that?

You know and I hate to see anybody smoking because the research is such hey. You gotta reap that thing buddy in your stomach or in your lungs or in your heart or somewhere else in your body. You're gonna reap what you're doing.

But you can't tell people that can you. I mean they could have research that they could have 15 volumes on the internet proving that Cigarette smoking causes health problems, but it won't happen to me.

It's not what it boils down. I won't have. I'm not the one who'll get AIDS all these other guys out here. Oh get it. I'm not the one who will get lung cancer or Throat cancer or mouth cancer from chewing tobacco.

Happen on the other it's not gonna happen to me. You know that that's kind of living. What would you say stupidly is that too harsh a term? Keep it you got it if you don't do what you're supposed to you're gonna reap it.

And I I think we've got a thing in America that that militates against that it somehow it won't happen and In more primitive cultures everybody knows what's going on, but in ours when you know somebody dies or something it's all covered up and it's rushed off to the undertaker and his own and we don't we're not faced with the with the reality of death and life and Tragedy it doesn't become a village thing that everybody sees them and helps and learns from it's all hidden and The commercials proceed 99 99.

But in the way of meanwhile your son got AIDS or your daughter's shacked up somewhere. But it's 99 99 go on we you know we've got a bridge to the future. Yeah, but my child. Funny about it, but in that people will happen today.

No, somebody may win a million dollars. It's like the crackling of thorns under a pot. That's I think one of the purposes of a church Is to get people out of the anonymity of California and the utopia get a community going.

Where people care and then when somebody? Messes up somehow. There's a lot of people that know it a lot of people have prayed a lot of people that help a lot of people learn from it. I'm lost in the Great currents of California where it goes on.

It goes on 99 99 99 99. It's only 99 99, but in the meanwhile. Your children your daughter becomes a lesbian. Your son's up to be a television. Now virtual reality we're gonna have a nation of zombies walking around mindless their eyes.

Like like opium it means like opium. Of religion is not the opiate of the people it's the personal computer in the television. Do not be deceived. God is not much and well that puts it on you. Don't you allow yourself to be sick deceive be real say wait a minute here.

Don't snow me anymore with this stuff that everything is great. The nation's going to hell in a handcart. I mean we have anarchy in our major cities anarchy. Good old goes on play the music fiddlers on the road.

But it's up, but we don't have to be deceived have to be deceived. That's a choice we make. I Pretend it isn't so till the hairy fist comes through your dead ball. Not be deceived. God is not mocked for whatever a man sows this he will reap.

There's no. That is one of the basic laws of the kingdom. And Jesus grace and truth came to us by Jesus Christ. Not as an alternative to this law. But as the means of coping with it, so we're not so discouraged.

God has been so many times as hope Jesus said. There's hope for you come to the cross get your sins washed away, but I'm not stopping there. I put my spirit in you and if you'll walk in it you can overcome These things.

What a difference There is between those two ways of looking at it. One is more fantasy world the unreal Christian schizophrenia. But the other one is the reality of a new creation a transform life. How many believe God came to make us new creations?

Do you believe that. Not not? Forgiven old Creations but new creations through the power of God. You think he can't change. You go out and consider the mass and energy in space and go to bed and get a good night's Sleep you he's got the power to change little old you if that's what you want.

So the kingdom of God is not a house of cards based on imputation. It's real it's real change and real people. We're experiencing that aren't. We do not be deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows he will reap.

For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh. Reap corruption now this has to do with the resurrection which we don't do tomahawks. If you sow your flesh that means if you live in the appetite Eating sleeping working Playing and reproducing the life of the horse and the life of the average person we live in our five Senses that's called living in the flesh.

We say well, I'm in the flesh. Of course you're in the flesh, and you're a human being. But you need to spend some time in prayer reading the Bible and listening to the voice of God. How many believe that?

That's when that's a God knows that we need to eat sleep work play and reproduce. God understands that but if that's all we do. We might as well be a horse. God gave us the ability to tap into Eternal life.

Don't have to grovel in the mud. We can dance among the stars. That's a choice we make. The weight on the Lord shall mount up with wings as eagles. Hallelujah. Work three jobs and lose our health and our family and everything to make money which we're going to leave anyway to people.

Who will waste it. Oh? Brother Solomon was troubled about that. I do all this. I get all this. I'm going to live it till summer. Leave it to somebody. Doesn't appreciate it so all its vanity. Yeah. For one who saws you you're going to breathe if you live the animal life.

You're going to reap the animal life. And when you're resurrected There'll be nothing there for you because you haven't laid up any treasures in heaven. Good OU comes forth unchanged and the one who sows to the spirit shall from the spirit reap eternal life.

Salvation as a Daily Pursuit

Now that brings up a point we Salvation or eternal life has a specific beginning in our life. And it has a specific process, and it has a specific conclusion. We have been saved. We are being saved. We will be saved if we endure to the end.

And to put it all at the beginning is don't misunderstand the whole purpose of God. God Salvation is on that you say that's it and now I wait till I die and go to heaven. Salvation is something that begins At a specific point, but it continues every day.

We work out our salvation with fear and trembling every day. You're in a contest to keep what you were given so freely. To keep your crown. What powerful forces. Militating against that it's an uphill climb.

Get to swim against the current. Or down you go into the flesh and in the future like it says here you reap eternal life. It's something given in the beginning something that you Contest for every day death and life are fighting over you and and then it's something that you reap at the end.

If Paul said to Timothy lay hold on life you have to lay hold on it today. Your mind is all full of the world and trash and garbage. You're not laying hold on like you you have to lay hold on life by giving yourself to Jesus every day.

You don't worship God six days a week and cut out on one or vice versa. It's got to be all the time. Because the moment you let up the forces the pressures moving in the wrong direction. It's a great you cannot remain static.

It's a dynamic thing at every point and it's not impossible to live. I mean, it's a neat way to live for heaven's sake. This is the way to the fit. It's sin. That's a hard way. The way of the transgressor is hard.

How come you think most of the commercials are on my Lana or tag on that or. Or whatever else they got out there to calm your nerves. Audrey and I were saying, you know Abraham and Sarah they didn't need my Lana.

Why. Because their life was low-key compared to ours and and Southern California is the worst of the worst. It's like living in one of these cages. They put a squirrel in. That's the way we live it. It's like living in a squirrel cage.

So you can't get out of it. So, what do you do? Don't did you have your my land of this morning? If not your stomach probably hurts. It's churning out too much acid you get tagging that to block it from keep it going up into your esophagus.

Wonderful world we live in it. It's great if you make it. You have to have my Lana to help you along the way. Your stomach is all the time pumping out acid because we're not you know, it's stress. But many that are last shall be first.

I the demands on us are tremendously. But the goal, you know, the goal is to get there with God and to rule with the Lord. And to get a better resurrection when it was so is to the spirit and you're so to the spirit by praying.

Reading your Bible. Listening for God, you know our our environment noisy and you can't hear God. Now God is not that hard to hear. Sometime this afternoon just stop and you'll hear God's voice and it's not that hard to hear.

Get sensitive to the spirit. Don't rush around the future. Wait and walk out gracefully. Let other people stand all stooped. Living in the future. Mother are we there yet? You don't have to run around like that.

He that believes shall not make haste and before you do something check it out. You know, you've got a friend in high places check it out with him. You become sensitive To his will. He's there and you're this running around like a squirrel in a cage.

Financial worries the kind of things that are driving you. You can't add an inch to your stature doing that. Slow down and listen. You'll hear the voice of the Lord. He's ready to talk to you. But you've got to get yourself in the position where you are quiet.

The waters of Shiloh that go quietly. Religious ambition will keep you from hearing the voice of God. You'll be amazed the Lord talks to me. Yeah, you know I don't say that he speaks to everybody like it's coming over a cell phone.

I'm not saying that there's people here in different ways, but you'll be conscious. Cultivate the presence of God and that's called living in the spirit. Horses don't let us not lose heart in doing good.

If you like doing good this morning, you say what's the use of doing good. Nobody appreciates it for in due time. We shall reap reap. So you're sowing by your actions. When you forgive somebody you're sowing when you refuse to lash back.

You're sowing when you speak well of someone instead of gossiping about them or slandering. You're sowing. When you refuse to lie or steal. You're sowing you're sowing you're doing good and you're sowing and you've got to meet that later.

The Heavenly Dwelling and the Judgment Seat of Christ

Okay. So now we're talking about we know where there's some things we reap in this life. But I want to speak about a larger picture and that's in where we read this morning in 2nd Corinthians 5 we know that if the earthly house, which is our body which is What we're talking about which is our house is torn down, which merely means we die.

We have a building from God a house not made with hands Eternal in the heavens. That's what I want to talk about. Is this house? So the resurrection Actually involves two bodies. The body that you have now Will be raised from the dead make no mistake.

It will be raised from the dead. But there is also a body. Being formed in heaven eased from the dead and your body stands on the ground. You will be clothed with that body that will be the fullest expression of Of sowing and reaping.

I want you to internalize that that is tremendously important. There will be other things we like to think about paradise. That's fine. But there'll be more than that. There will be relationships with loved ones going on before and new people and as I said Proximity to God and opportunities for service for eternity.

So there's I'm not talking about the only thing you're going to reap I just concentrating on one thing that you're going to reap now most of us had a chance To have any kind of body we wanted every kind of neat when the Troy so that You know how you can tell when Helen of Troy goes by.

Yeah, read your Homer the whole lineup of men on the wall. When Helen walked by Helen of Troy, well, you may have some other model. It's more she's been dead for a while, but Yeah, like would you believe 800 BC but This is one of the great beauties of all time.

And if it's a man, perhaps you'd want to look like Hercules Clark Gable or whatever your thing is. You know or somebody this current because at my age everything gets warped. You can't I can't keep up with this generation I don't even understand it.

But would it be kind of neat wouldn't if you could have the kind of body you want? How much is this? Well, that's exactly what I'm on a building you know a body. And unlike our body in this world, which can be used to conceal of what we are.

Oh, that's cool. Provided that you got the right stuff inside. You can't hide anymore, how do we do this? You're being given Decisions to make every day every time you decide to affect what you're going to be clothed with you're gonna you're gonna Read exactly what you're sewing.

Now you said what my past life has been horrible. Well, God has given you something called the blood of Jesus and you can wash your robe and Make it white. No matter how dirty it gets. You can wash it and make it white.

That's what I meant by saying God has given us a leg up. But you can't play games with God. You can't say well. All right, this is neat. I'll just do my thing until I'm ready to die and then I'll wash my robe.

Hey Whoo? Psalm 18 says with the shrewd he shows himself shrewd. Doesn't work like that. You can only repent as long as you have the gift of repentance and when that is lifted from you, there's no repentance possible.

God doesn't play those games if he sees that you have an honest and good heart. And you're like the drunk on the corner and your beat your breasts and say God be merciful to me a sinner. And God has mercy on you.

But if you go playing games with God, oh I get my robe filthy and then the blood can cleanse it. So I'll wait till the last minute. Like that you're out of here heart failure, I Mean you drop on the spot.

It isn't like angina. It's just the old ticker. Just quit that down you go. You didn't have a chance. So God is very real. He is not an equation that you can learn how to work. He's not like that. He's not a formula and if you Want to be pleasing to God, but if you try to work the moves You're going to get hung up.

I guess the most somebody passes you in church, and you're so mad you go home and and You can't even eat you're stinged. Well, you have a decision to make don't you? In that house up there is waiting for that decision.

Fume around and get on the phone and try to split the church. One option. The other one is you can go to Christ in prayer and ask for help dear God. I've got a flaming arrow stuck in my side and it's burning me and I'm mad.

And the Lord will take it out and heal it. That's another option that you have now both of these options affect that house up there you decide to Chew on this bone and cultivate your hurt. You keep you're sending up Unforgiveness you're sending up corruption into that house.

Oh. It won't happen to me. I can be as mean as I want to be but I'm going to be clothed with a wonderful house. Let me show how beautiful I am. I Mean and put Helena Troy in the shade. No, it doesn't work that way.

Down on you is going to come this a witch inside. Guess what? You're going to look like but if you say and it kills you to do it, I forget I Want to forgive her, but I want to want to forgive her. Well God hears that prayer to out at night.

Look at the mass and energy and have a good night's sleep. There's power there to get that devil out of you you do guess what? You're sending up yourself to the appetites of the flesh sewer written with some on pornography as a result of an elders meeting we had.

Pornography, Technology, and Spiritual Vigilance

And I'm not going to dwell on this because it's garbage beyond garbage home and wrote on that people sitting in their virtual reality slobbering the sledge to the flesh merchants laugh on their way to the bank while you go either to Is or prison or corruption one glance and get hooked and the future because of digital Technology with the screens and compression and other things.

That are going on now that'll make the screen the screen what's going on? The screen will be clearer than what's going on in your front room and then you get us then you enlarge that screen so it's as large as that thing over there and Then you're bringing them to it sure Pornography you can sit there and watch it all night.

How do you think the people in America are going to then you put on your virtual reality suit? So you're there? We've got them. I hope we've got some classes of psychiatrists coming up. We're going to need it because people are not going to be able to distinguish between reality, that's what that's what's coming up and what the Christians in our nation are going to have to get more iron than they've got.

So that if you're on the internet and you happen to hit that thing that filthy thing comes up the iron. No, no, I will not Become a prey of demons these goblin creatures. When you see them, they won't be virtual reality then they'll be real.

We got a big job to do in America. We've got to get Christians to realize that they're going to reap what they're sowing and if you so pornography you're going to reap pornography. It's going up there into that house.

You're going to be clothed with filth. There's never been an accessibility to sin as there is today. That's why it says because lawlessness shall abound. The love of many shall wax cool. We have no fear of the great tribulation.

There's no problem there tribulation will perfect you. The fear is of the hour of temptation that is the thing to fear and that is close to us. One of the big gods is immorality. It's a big God and all of its many tentacles we're calling in the demons from Haiti and and Africa and South America and protecting them with the Bill of Rights and welcoming them in the air is Saturated with it and you cannot escape it in the flesh.

You've got to have the power of God that has to hit you. It has to get down into you into your spirit and into your nerves. You will never be able to resist. What's coming down the pipe? Electronically arm yourself now and recognize that is all that you're doing in your Decisions is Affecting that house and you're going to meet it someday because you're going to be clothed with it and that's the perfect justice of God.

There's nothing more just than that. The law of sowing and reaping is a perfectly just but if you're a lover of the truth. You will love that law first to for indeed in this house this body We grow longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven.

Oh, we don't that's not our groaning. We grown to go to heaven and the reason for that is partly because of tradition and our teaching and our spiritual immaturity. But the goal is not to go to heaven.

The goal is to is the house. It's the house With which you're going to be clothed. The change is what's important. You don't want to go to paradise unchanged. No way. So the good news is the change. Paradise will take care of itself.

For indeed in this house this body we grow we want to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven. We want to be clothed with that thing. Paul is saying why because he was a righteous Jew and he wanted to live righteously and he hated his body and Maybe he was old and tired everybody over 70 same and now.

And as much as we haven't put it on the thing is you put it on you put it you put this thing on. Your body is raised in the dead and then you put it on you put on this house, okay, and then he says We were so we'd be clothed with so that that which is mortal.

Which is your body that will be raised or if Jesus comes before you die. Your present body may be swallowed up by life. This body is a body of life. Remember if you sow to the spirit you will reap life.

We're in the pursuit of life. Straight as the gate now is the way that leads to life. You say well, I'm a Christian so I have it. No you're a Christian so you're authorized to pursue it. But the unsaved cannot do they cannot pursue life.

That's what's given that's the gift of God is the authorization to pursue life. It's like the gift of a piano. We can sit there in the front room and collect dust. I mean you can play chopsticks now 30 years later.

You're still playing chopsticks. That's the way Christians are with eternal life. Oh, you can play Chopin. Oh, it stops this gets old after a while after you hear it 25 times. It's kind of Paul's on you and that's oh now the gift of eternal life.

It's not like the gift of a $50 bill. It's like the gift of a piano. You have to practice it. You have to discipline yourself to do anything with eternal life. Now he who prepared us for this very purpose is God.

God has to prepare us. God had to prepare a place for us. Then he has to play it prepare us for the place. Who gave to us the spirit as a pledge that is as a deposit on the spirit that is coming? You don't have the whole thing.

You've got a deposit. On the rest of it's in the bank. Therefore being always of good courage and knowing that while we are at home in the body. We are absent from the Lord. Before we walk by faith not by sight.

We are of good courage. I say. And prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord now. He's not talking about the house. He's talking about his desire to die and to be with the Lord.

Now we get back to the house a minute. Therefore also we have as our ambition whether at home or absent to be pleasing to him. Now he gets back to the house. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

And that word does not mean As I've said so many times to. It doesn't mean appear in the sense of stand. It means the Greek term means appear in the sense of be made manifest. That's a better translation for we must all be made manifest.

It's appear in the sense of made manifest not geographical appearance. But a revelation of what you are we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may be Recompensed for his deeds in the body.