Introduction:

Today our society is accepting the message that we are progressively being told – that evil is good and good is evil! Those who call attention to wrong are shouted into submission, their voices are silenced or they are cancelled. Standing firm on righteous principles is portrayed as extreme, even eccentric. Case in point this week we learned Kristan Ann Ware a devout Christian and a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader was harassed. She is a virgin who plans to wait until she is married to have sex. She wears a “True Love Waits” ring, which signifies abstinence before marriage. This did not sit well with the NFL Dolphins leadership. She was then ordered to keep her religious beliefs to herself. “I felt quite silenced,” she said. “God is everything to me, and now I’m being told that I can’t talk about God. I took it quite hard, and the treatment after that was mocking and threating. They told her that she was too sensitive and too emotional and that they were helping her to develop into a real woman. She quit… and took her story to Sara Blackwell an attorney and it went public.

Most of the righteous among us seem to contribute to the problem by simply saying nothing in opposition to what is happening. We sit on the sidelines watching, but doing nothing to stop the digression. Ms. Wares spoke out for Jesus she was bold for her faith regardless of how you judge her for being a cheerleader. When we believe we can do nothing to stop what is happening, we’ve already given up, and the devil has won. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” The critics today do not want us to attribute this saying to Edmond Burke they claim there is no evident of it in his writings. I do believe it does paraphrase accurately a comment he made in a speech So, then I am saying it!

Pray to God that we wake up and speak up before our nation fits the prophet Isaiah’s warning for the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem for their sinful behavior during his time —“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” God has not changed. His standards have not been lowered. God still calls immorality a sin, and the Bible says God is going to judge it.- Isaiah 5:21-23

Someone once said: “There is no more startling trend of our day than the exaltation of evil.” Modern social morality often differs from the righteousness of the Bible. A wrong deed is good if the majority of the people declare it not to be wrong.” Serving and believing God is evil not good because liberal leftist say so.

By this principle we can see our standards shifting from decade to decade according to the populist thinking. Divorce was once frowned upon by society, and laws against fornication, adultery and abortion were treated seriously. Honesty was once the hallmark of character, faith in God was admired, truth and justice was the America way…not any more.

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 fatigued. I believe we are seeing the fruit of this weariness today. First, as Christians living in a hostile world we must…

I. Persist in Teaching 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 the necessity of saints but it also conveys to enter into fellowship, join oneself as an associate, make oneself a partner. Paul is referring to giving and supporting pastor, teachers, evangelist, ministers and missionaries. These are usually the people on the front lines. During the pandemic many of these leaders were abandoned to fend for ministry.

2. Folks, not to support and serve is self-centered. Self-centeredness is another reason we are so inclined to call evil good. When something brings profit, pleasure or security to us, we are inclined to call it good, even if we know it is wrong. Your inward voice says, “It’s good for me, yet, I know it’s wrong”. These are the alibis we have created to justify evil and call it good. Our trouble is this: what we say about Christianity is what we say about everything else: “What’s in it for me?” In our selfishness, we think of God as we think of everyone else—in terms of what He can contribute to us personally. That is why churches are failing… In other words, we want God to be our servant.

II. Persist in Spiritual Sowing Vv. 7, 8

1. God calls us to do good so in a world were good is considered evil; choose to do the good! While the world tells us what is immoral and sinful– we simply must determine to do the good! We must persist in doing 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 of our lives 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 evil. 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, support, 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!

The sinful nature says; there is never enough – The one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap abundant life and 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 you get that. 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. So, how can we get our values straightened out? How can our warped judgment be brought into line? How can we stop calling evil good? The world has tried and failed!

The Bible, which has withstood the test of time, tells us the truth. It says that we possess a nature that wars against us, that seeks to destroy us. The Apostle Paul said: “I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good”. (Romans 7:21). Evil is present in us disguising itself as good, controlling us and deceiving us. Sin is why the atonement was necessary. Christ died on the cross to make us one with Him dead to sin and alive to righteousness. — Gospel

III. Persist in doing 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. That is the story of Haggai the prophet to God people and we will learns truths from this to apply.
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.” 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. The promise of the harvest “in due season we shall reap” “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.
6. “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. 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.

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.