Introduction:

Soon you will notice all the major news networks and magazines put out special stories recalling people & events that made news during 2018. Some people who made a different for good and hope in this world like that of the late President George Bush. One I particularly liked was of the Gary Sinise Foundation they serve our nation by honoring our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need. Their Snowball Express, serves the children of our fallen military heroes, surviving spouses, and Gold Star families. This year they brought 1000 children of our fallen military heroes to Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida. These families will have an opportunity to bond with the only people who can truly understand their loss: one another. There are many wonderful stories like this…what is ours?

For most of us we won’t influence the world on a grand scale but nonetheless we can make a different as the song – writer Ina Ogdon wrote “brighten the corner where we are”. Here we are it’s now the last Sunday of 2018 & 2019 is waiting in the wings just two days away. So will we have made a difference a real difference for our spiritual well-being and for the Kingdom of God? Paul commanded us to persevere in well doing until the harvest was reaped. Paul realized that from time to time faithful workers for the Lord become weary. This issue is addressed in a number of Scriptures in the New Testament, Galatians is one of them.

I. Persist in Sharing Good Things. Vv. 6

1. Paul instructs the church to “communicate” good to those who teach the word…the logos. In Roman 12:13; we have the same word “koinōneō” translated “distributing” meaning to share with others; to the necessity of saints given to hospitality.

2. Koinōneō” to share is in the sense of active giving and all good things in the sense of physical goods. Paul exhorts to provide for the temporal needs of your teachers in Christ.” Note what Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.

II. Persist in your own Spiritual Good Vv. 7, 8

1. God calls us to do good. While the world tells us to do bad to do wrong – we simply must determine to do the good! We must persist in good spiritual things e.g.: Bible study, prayer, fellowship, sharing and caring for one another. The principle of whatever a man sows, that he will also reap has application beyond giving and supporting teachers and ministers and missionaries. It has a general application in life; what we get out is often what we put in. Yet, Paul is not promoting some law of spiritual “karma” that ensures we will get good when we do good, or always get bad when we do bad. Paul simply relates the principle of sowing and reaping to the way we manage our resources before the Lord. That’s what Paul is talking about giving of one’s time, energy, resources, finances, faith, hope, love.

2. What are you sowing? God expects good people, saved people, his people to sow good things. If we spend all our money and energy on ourselves and waste all our time on that which is sinful and selfish, we will never be satisfied! If you sow seeds of discord you will reap discord. Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house. Proverbs 17:3

The sinful nature says; there is never enough – The one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” If we want to reap to the Spirit, we should not hesitate to sow to the Spirit with whatever resources God has given us. A farmer reaps the same as he has sown. If he plants wheat, wheat comes up. In the same way, if we sow to the flesh, the flesh will grow strength and increase in size. If we sow to the spirit, the flesh will flourish.

3. James mention in chapter 4:17, Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Sin will take you further than you want to go; keep you longer than you want to stay; and cost you more than you want to pay.

III. Persist in doing the Good vv. 9-10… And let us not be not weary in well doing”

1. The word translated weary means “to lose heart,” to become discouraged. It is human nature to lose the desire to continue because of difficult circumstances or unfulfilled expectations. This is especially true when results are not immediately apparent; when, in fact, it seems as if our work is unproductive, unappreciated, or unrewarded.
2. Well-doing – to reap the full harvest of the good – requires continued effort. Discouragement will cause us to quit before we have reached our goal.
3. The word translated “faint” literally meant to loosen or relax in such a way that a thing became weakened. It was used of a bowstring that had lost its tension, thus lessening the efficiency and power of the bow. It was often used of becoming physically weakened through hunger or exhausting labor.
4. Paul recognized an inescapable truth: well doing often produces emotional and physical exhaustion. Today, we call it “burn-out.”
a. One reason for this is our good works never seem to have a point of completion.
• Can we ever say that we have finished the work of evangelism?
• There is no time clock for parents to punch in and punch out; they are on the job 24 hours of the day.
b. Another reason for this is that the good often carries a sense of urgency.
• The word “opportunity” in verse ten is the same as the word “season” in verse 9. It means a limited amount of time, a decisive period.
• The implication is that we must seize the opportunities given to us to do good because they may not present themselves again.
5. To avoid fainting, it is vital that we find time for spiritual, physical, and emotional refreshment. Tired people (emotionally or physically) are less productive, prone to mistakes, and more vulnerable to discouragement and depression. Some have said, “I’d rather burn out than rust out.” The problem is, either way you’re out.
C. The promise of the harvest “in due season we shall reap”
1. “In due season” reminds us that there is a relationship between seedtime and harvest. We have “opportunities” to do good. When they arrive, it’s time to sow. For every opportunity, there is a time appointed for harvest. To miss the former is to lose the latter.
2. “We shall reap” is God’s promise to the faithful and believing. On this basis, Paul charges us to take the opportunities God gives us. Verse 10. Persevering comes from the sure knowledge that God will keep His Word, the time of harvest will arrive, and therefore, our labor is not in vain.
Illustration:
There is a need to persevere in sowing good seed. It is seldom easy, often tiresome, and usually under appreciated. Sometimes, we don’t even see the fruit of our labors in this life. We do the sowing, and a future generation reaps. A wonderful illustration of this truth is found in the life of John Wycliffe.

Wycliffe worked hard at giving the world an English translation of the Bible. He wanted a Bible that anyone could read, not just the priests. He was declared an outlaw and a heretic for his efforts. His enemies made no secret of the fact that they sought his life, and Wycliffe had to finish his work while in hiding. When it was finished, there was no printing press, so each copy had to be made by hand. It was a slow and expensive project. Then, less than two years after the first copy was completed, Wycliffe died. Years later, he was so hated by his enemies that they dug up his bones, burned them, and scattered the ashes on the Thames River.

Today, we are the reapers of Wycliffe’s harvest. We have the Bible in our hands because he didn’t quit in the face of opposition and discouragement. He stayed at the task, which is what we all must do if we expect to reap the full harvest of the good.

Conclusion:
I want to challenge you this morning to look to the future with anticipation and not with reluctance. See the future for what God wants it to be and not what you want it to be. Keep on doing the good, what is right and honorable in the eyes of God.