Mr. Mark Winner

Sermon Transcript

January, 2001

Stirring From Within

Someone actually sent this to me some time back. It's not anything new to a lot of people. However, it is a reminder of something that we often hear, but don't necessarily act on.

Let's see. I think it started when Madeline Murray O'Hare complained she didn't want any prayer in our schools; and we said, "OK." Then someone said, "You better not read the Bible in school, the Bible that says, 'Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal,' and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" And we said, "OK."

Dr. Benjamin Spock said, "We shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem." And we said, "An expert should know what he's talking about so we won't spank them anymore."

Then someone said, "Teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave." And the school administrators said, "No faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued." And we accepted their reasoning.

Then someone said, "Let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents." And we said, "That's a grand idea."

Then some wise school board member said, "Since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they want, so they can have all the fun they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school." And we said, "That's another great idea."

Then some of our top elected officials said, "It doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs." And agreeing with them, we said, "It doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President, does in private as long as I have a job and the economy is good."

And then someone said, "Let's print magazines with pictures of nude women and call it wholesome, down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty of the female body." And we said, "We have no problem with that." And someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and then stepped further still by making them available on the Internet. And we said, "They're entitled to their free speech."

And the entertainment industry said, "Let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence, and illicit sex. And let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes." And we said, "It's just entertainment. It has no adverse effect, and nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead."

And now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with, "We reap what we sow."

Now, I realize that there is a lot that could be said that isn't in this brief statement; but what is said, and in particular, the conclusion of this statement, speaks very directly to what I wish to address today. How can you or I grasp the significance, the magnitude of such a statement as, "We reap what we sow," to such a point that we would choose to act on it daily? What will it take to get us to reach that point?

Fellow family members, I'm taking the sermon time today to talk about a subject in which there is not one person in this room, in my opinion, and beginning with myself, that can claim, "I don't really have room for improvement." Now, I suppose we could all say that about virtually any topic of discussion. Yet, what I'm talking with you about today is largely what I see as the difference between being a Church full of healthy, spiritually mature individuals as opposed to a Church consisting of people with warm smiles, good intentions, and general "conservative" ideas, but a lack of inspired conviction. In other words, brethren, it is my opinion that the topic of discussion for today's sermon is perhaps somewhat lacking in all of us and woefully lacking in some. So the title of my sermon is, "Stirring from Within."

Let's go to Galatians, chapter 6, and begin there today. Galatians, the sixth chapter, and let's begin in verse 1.

Gal. 6:1-2 - Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

We are reminded here that anyone or any who are struggling with weakness of some sort or have given in to sin, it is the responsibility of those strong in the faith that might be aware of it to go and help by reminding them what God says or, perhaps, by simply getting down on our knees and going in prayer to God. In other words, don't compromise with the truth. While, at the same time, be gentle with the instruction, recognizing that we, too, can very quickly find ourselves facing sin. Part of our responsibility is surely to help where we can in carrying part of the load of another burden that someone else may be carrying. Thus the principle, when one part of the body hurts, the entire body aches.

Let's read on in verse 3:

Verses 3-5 - For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load.

Each of us has the responsibility to learn and to understand what is expected of us as well as how to improve our overall spiritual health. There is no way possible that you or I could help anyone else spiritually if we cannot help ourselves, or even see the value or the need to be right with God. How can we possibly help anyone else if we don't deeply, passionately, understand that? It would be impossible for us to get excited about someone else's spiritual growth if we first do not recognize the value of spiritual growth.

Notice verse 6 - Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.

Again, how can there be a mutual enthusiasm and appreciation for knowledge learned without first recognizing the value of what has been given? In other words, we cannot share in carrying our part of the burden as described in verse 2, nor can we share in the growth of one spiritually as we otherwise could without first comprehending or grasping what it is that took place in that person's life, because we simply wouldn't recognize any real value. Let me give you an example.

How clearly do we understand the importance of responsibility when we are the one ultimately responsible? When I first started washing windows many years ago, I learned under a friend who I went to college with. We graduated together, a super guy. I liked him very much. And I thought that I was-as I look back on it now, I think a little differently-but I thought I was giving my all to him in the sense that I was fulfilling my job, my duty, my responsibility; and I was serious about my job, so I thought. When I left California and I moved here, a few months later I started my own window-cleaning business (before selling the business some years ago). I learned over time that I looked upon that business and how I treated the customer considerably differently when it was MY business and MY name on the side of the truck.

Why is that? Well, there's a lot of reasons for that, but one thing is there was a step of growth involved there, a recognition, "Wait a minute now. There's a little more to it than necessarily meets the eye to begin with." You know, we can be a good employee. We can be a great employee. We can be a good employer, a great employer. We can be a Christian. We can be an ever-growing, diligently working on improving, Christian, or somebody that is considered to be a Christian by many but simply is not taking advantage of what we truly have in our fingertips. Again, only after we have a more full understanding of why something is important and why it carries great value will we then be able to appreciate why it means so much to some and so little to others. Some get it, brethren, and some don't.

Notice verses 7-8 - Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

How we are living our lives right now, the example we set, the words that come out of our mouths, the way we handle certain situations and people, the way we are {when we are} behind closed doors, when other people don't see us, tells God, and ultimately us and those around us, who we are, who we really are. In other words, there is no doubt that we will reap what we sow. And, for that matter, the circumstances we now find ourselves in are indicative of what we have sown. Where are you right now in your life, spiritually? Well, lest anyone get down on himself, please never forget that each of us has the ability to change and change in a major way, with the help of God's Holy Spirit. I talked about that in last week's sermon, so I won't spend more time there.

Verse 9 - And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

What is this telling us, brethren? Well, for one thing, we are being told it is our responsibility not to lose heart. That is the same as saying we each have the responsibility to run tirelessly and finish the race we began when we made a commitment to become a part of the Church of God. And for those that may not have made a commitment, then surely the time has come now. You know too much. What are some of us waiting for? Brethren, throughout modern Church history, that is, within the Church of God, typically there have been those amongst us that have been very actively involved in many, if not all, facets of the Church; and there have been those that have, shall we say, kept their distance. There have been those who are at every Church function, and those who don't seem to make it to any. There are those who have taken an active role in the leadership of the Church. There are those that have not. There are those who seem to understand much concerning God's truth, those who seem to understand some, and, unfortunately, those who understand just a little. Although my hope and prayer is that no matter what category we may be classified, we will all see the need to improve on where we are. There have been those who carry the load, and those who stand by the side, sometimes referred to in times past as, or a common phrase that's used for an individual (not necessarily always in the Church, but anywhere), a person who is not as involved would be considered more of a wallflower.

Now, traditionally, as it is also outside the Church, if you want something to get done, you learn to give the responsibility or the opportunity to somebody who, generally speaking, is already quite busy. Why? Because we understand that that person's also a producer. Now, I should say that some people seemingly appear to be busy, however; but that, in and of itself, does not imply productivity. For far too many people in this world, they are busy simply spinning their wheels as opposed to making any real headway. There were a lot of busy lawyers in the state of Florida recently, but I'm not convinced much good was produced as a result. There are many individuals within the Church that lead very busy lives, ranging from a large workload at their job or a large workload, perhaps, within their physical family. This does not alone imply either production or lack thereof. But, rather, how can we measure production? Production is measured largely by success. We are successful by producing good fruit which comes only from sowing good seed, which, then, leads me back to the title of the sermon, "Stirring from Within."

The difference, brethren, between those who get actively involved in the Church and those who take a more passive role, or the difference between those who are given opportunity and those who, perhaps, are not, lies largely within answering the question, "Am I stirring up what is within me?" Or we could put it this way: it's one thing to believe {that} you reap what you sow. Lots of people would be in agreement with you on that one. It's another thing entirely to believe and also actively do something about it. So let me again pose the question from earlier in the sermon. How can we each grasp the magnitude of this so as to act on it daily? I've broken it down into four points today. In order to stir up from within and in order to grasp the magnitude of the biblical instruction, "You reap what you sow," four steps are necessary; and these four steps must occur in this particular order, as we will see as we go through them.

Step No. 1: Be responsible.

If I were to ask the question, how many times do you believe you have shirked responsibility or run from what was meant to be your responsibility, even though you knew that it was your responsibility, what would your answer be? How about this one: how often do you think you spurned responsibility not knowing or realizing that you were even doing it? Now, my best guess is that every single one of us that is, let's say, oh, let's just pick an age here, 35 years of age and older, has done this over a thousand times. Probably thousands of times. Let me give you a couple of examples. I'll use myself as an example here.

Home repairs. How many times have I, how many times have, perhaps, some of us, put off things knowing they needed to be done, understanding at some point, if I don't take care of this, it will become a bigger issue. It will become even more expensive; but, for whatever reason, procrastinating, not dealing with it, not sowing any differently so that, ultimately, I reap exactly what I deserve. Pick a topic like weight loss or eating properly. How many people talk about this issue alone? Look how many magazine covers talk about how to eat and how to live to have this kind of life and look like this. How many people actually do something about it? What really changes? At what point do people wake up and say, "You know what? This is going to work. I see this. Yeah, I'm going to try this. I'm going to do this. I'm going to live it." I know a lot of publications or a lot of individuals involved in making these publications are making a lot of money. I don't know how many people are actually following what's said, though. We're the most obese society that's ever lived. I'm not saying that, by the way, to pick on anybody. I'll start with myself.

What about daily prayer and study? How can we reap something that we aren't sowing? Church attendance. How important is that to us? Are we convicted? Are we excited about being together with our family? Fellow family members, the first step toward daily acting on the principle of reaping what you sow is to be responsible. Just because someone hears or reads profound or accurate statements from the Bible does not mean any changes will occur in a person's life. We can read all the greatest quotes out there. What changes in our life if we don't sow differently? I appreciate the sermonette. I feel it ties in very well with what I'm talking about here. You can't run from the society that we're in. We've got to live in it, but we have to make conscious decisions to live differently. In order for change to take place, in order for positive reaping to occur in your life, you must be responsible. This society teaches something vastly different, and we'll be eaten up with it, and we will accept that if we don't make a stand.

Let's take a look at a parable reminding us of this fact in Matthew, chapter 25, a parable that by worldly standards is considered completely unfair; and yet, this is how God operates. Therefore, it is imperative that we recognize what He's telling us. Matthew, chapter 25, again, nothing that we are unfamiliar with. Let's begin in verse 14:

Matt. 25:14-17 - "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also."

Now, the first two servants mentioned here took responsibility. They were responsible. They understood, they recognized, "I've got something and I'm supposed to be doing something with this." They were active with what they were given. They recognized that they would be held accountable.

Let me ask the question: whether you are a baptized member of God's Church or whether you simply attend and have for a long period of time, perhaps, because you believe this is the right way to live, but you haven't really committed to it, will you be held accountable for this understanding? It seems like a fair question to ask, wether you're baptized or whether you're not.

Verses 18-23 - "But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.' His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.' His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'"

Imagine the feeling of hearing that. There are tremendous blessings now and an awesome reward later for those who mature and those who nurture the blessing of Acts 2, verses 38-39. I again remind you that, although I would hope all of us see and feel the need to be baptized into the body of Christ, that according to verse 39 of Acts 2, even if you are children of one who has been baptized, you have been given tremendous blessing and responsibility to nurture.

You know, the point of this sermon is not to arm-twist anyone. I don't want to twist-I can't, actually, in reality, when it gets right down to it, bottom line-but I'm not trying to arm-twist anyone into doing anything, something, perhaps, that they don't understand or that they aren't committed to. I don't want anyone to take it that way. But, rather, I am raising a question which, frankly, can cause some discomfort for those of us who recognize that this is the truth of God; and a little discomfort, or a lot of discomfort, as it were, isn't necessarily going to hurt us.

Again, in order to daily act on the understanding that we reap what we sow, we absolutely, positively, must recognize more completely our responsibility.

Verses 24-27 - "Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.' But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.'"

Again, each of us is to be doing something profitable with what we have been given. Now we reach the point of the parable that this society we live in would find downright offensive. This is the part that Satan has sold the world on. "It's so unfair!"

Verses 28-30 - 'Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

Today's society does not teach responsibility. It teaches experimentation. It teaches, "Do what you want, and don't be concerned about having to feel badly. Don't let anyone tell you that you have to do something. Be an individual. Be different. Be what you want to be." Folks, that's not of God. You and I will reap a lot of what we do not want to reap if we don't sow responsibility.

Well, when and if a person grasps the relevance of responsibility, then and only then, can he move to the second

Step No.2: Be honest.

Brethren, I've spent a fair amount of time lately alluding to or talking directly about this particular subject. I firmly believe that this is a difficulty of gargantuan size for mankind. How is it possible for us to grow, to be an active, vital, nurturing member of God's Church without continually looking to strengthen our ability to be honest with ourselves? I mentioned that the title of the sermon was, "Stirring from Within." The only way to stir anything inside of us is to first be willing to take a look at what we really are and what we aren't, and to see what's inside of us, and not play games. You know, it's imperative to spiritual growth that we be ever growing when it comes to being honest with one's self.

Let's go to Jeremiah, chapter 17, another passage that's very familiar to many people and an outstanding passage in regard to what we're talking about here. Jeremiah, chapter 17, and verse 9 says:

Jer. 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?

Do any of us fully realize the depth of what this verse is telling us? I don't mean to overplay this or overdramatize this; but the truth is, the more honest with ourselves and with God we become, the more meaning this verse carries. Let's ponder a couple of examples of what we're talking about here.

We are now at the beginning of another calendar year, a time when many people make resolutions; but what becomes of those resolutions for most people? Are they not, for most people, basically forgotten, not followed through on? How honest are you with what you want? With what you believe to be right? What's taking place in your life that shows God, "I'm being honest. I'm honest with where I stand, with what I do, how I lead my life." How many times have you told someone else or told yourself that you were going to be more involved in Church only to not really follow through on that? Let's get more specific. How many times do we want something, or think we want something, when in reality, we don't really follow through on it, which then tells us and those around us that apparently we didn't really want that that much.

This may be the first time some of you heard this, but I made an announcement several weeks ago about special music sign-up and that we're just very curious. I would love to see us be able to have special music a little more often. It would be great if we could do it at least once a month, and so we decided that we would put out a list just to see what kind of interest there was, because a lot of people say that they want to contribute and participate. And, again, it's not my point to try to make people feel guilty or bad, but it is my point to simply bring out the fact that sometimes what we think we want or what we say and what we're really telling God and everybody else are two different things. If you take the time to go back and take a look at that list, you will see how many people actually signed up. Now, it's our choice. That's fine. If we don't have the interest or the ability or whatever to do it, that's fine. I don't in any way mean to pressure anyone, but I will tell you that what lead to this point was, well, there's interest in this, interest in that, and so on. When it gets right down to it, apparently there isn't that much interest. Again, I'm trying to just be very specific for a reason; and I hope you follow where I'm getting to here.

You're wanting this activity, you're wanting that activity. In reality, when, perhaps, something is given an opportunity, given for someone, then, to follow through in that activity, it kind of falls and never really gets done or accomplished. Why? Brethren, is not a part of that the fact that we simply really aren't being honest with ourselves. Do we want this or don't we? That's the thing about conviction.

That's what gets me excited and inspired about reading from the pages of the Bible, individuals who laid it on the line. They get you energized when you read about them. Some of these people went through things that I would never, ever want to go through in my life, and I'm sure you wouldn't either. And they did it standing for the truth because they were motivated that this was the right thing to do; and they loved the truth so much, and they didn't play games with themselves. They were honest with themselves on where they stood and why they were doing what they were doing.

Too often people think that they want something when, in reality, they either aren't sure or they simply don't have the character to follow through; and so, apparently, they don't want it quite so badly after all. Brethren, I'm as guilty as anybody. Sometimes I'm really convinced in my own mind that this is something I want. Then I proceed to go out and do something that doesn't at all fit with what I said I wanted. Well, sure enough, I reap what I sow.

I think it's important to pray every day, and I want to do it every single day. But, on the other hand, do I really want to do it every day? Let's be honest, if I want it badly enough, I will do it every day, won't I? But if I don't do it every day, then I must not feel as strongly about it as I should, or as I'm trying to tell myself. That's all I'm asking. We're in this thing together. We're not perfect, but it's exciting to get motivated about the truth of God; and it's exciting even more so to follow through and then grow as a result.

Fellow family members, being honest with one's self is a battle that will continue forever, until our death or until Christ's return. It's the opposite of man's nature to even want to take a look at self and accept responsibility. Oh, man! Who wants to do that! It's against our nature to look at self, accept responsibility for what we are and for what we are not.

Let's go to Colossians, chapter 3. Let's notice, beginning in verse 18:

Col. 3:18-20 - Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.

Here is some instruction that affects all of us to some degree or another. Honestly, how well do you follow this instruction? Wives, can you honestly stand before Jesus Christ and know without uncertainty that although you may not be perfect in this, you are giving it your all? Husbands, can you say the same? What about children? If you're still at home and you're in school, do you listen to and try always to obey your parents? Honestly? What about those of us who are grown but still children of living parents? Do we honestly respect them in thought and support it by action when they are not in disagreement with the truth of God? As far as I can tell in the Bible, we're always responsible to be that way toward our parents.

Verses 22-25 - Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

How many people in this world do you think are simply men pleasers, as described here? More importantly, what about you and me? Do you live a life that looks good to many on the surface but in reality God is seeing something else? We talk about all kinds of things: guarding your tongue to how you physically treat someone, your prayer life, your study life. What is it that God is seeing? Could you or I be too busy covering up sins, to the point that we really are not willing or necessarily able to be honest with ourselves? Sometimes, I think some people think they're digging when they're going through the motion of digging, but what they're doing is actually kind of shoveling on top of the real issue.

Brethren, again, I'm in this with all of us. It's not my intention to come across in any way as a judge or someone who is sent here to hound you at all, but rather I wish to pose questions that simply cause us to think about why we do what we do. It is essential that I do this in my own life. Frankly, all too often the answers to these questions for me over the years have been none too comforting. It's not easy to be honest with one's self.

Let's take a look at a very direct passage over in Ezekiel, chapter 14, that drives home the importance of being honest with one's self and not playing games. Many of you know that in our house we read on Friday evenings as a family together, and we're working our way through the whole Bible. We just happened to be reading through this last night, and I felt it was also very appropriate for this section of the sermon. In Ezekiel, chapter 14, and beginning in verse 12, we read:

Ezek. 14:12-20 - The word of the Lord came again to me, saying: "Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, (just picking three there), they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness," says the Lord God. "If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through because of the beasts, even though these three men were in it, as I live," says the Lord God, "they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; only they would be delivered, and the land would be desolate. Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, 'Sword, go through the land,' and I cut off man and beast from it, even though these three men were in it, as I live," says the Lord God, "they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only they themselves would be delivered. Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast, even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live," says the Lord God, "they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness."

Although there are several lessons that can be drawn from this particular chapter, surely one of the most powerful messages to come through here is that you and I must someday be honest with ourselves because nobody, as we've all heard, will make it into the Kingdom of God on somebody else's coattails. Although there is much protection from God provided over time to various family members of one who is faithful, ultimately each of us will stand on our own merits. Baptized members and those who are not baptized, every one of us will some day come to the feet of Jesus Christ, and He knows if we are being honest with ourselves and with Him.

Do you remember, back in Luke 18, the Pharisee that went to God? And he said, "Thank you, Lord, that I'm not a tax collector. I give tithes, I fast. Thank you that I'm not like this other person." In other words, "I'm glad I'm righteous." This is certainly a classic example of not seeing one's self for what you really are. It is the lack of ability, or inability, to be honest with one's self. What we reap will not be terribly pleasing to either us or God until we first sow honesty in our lives. Becoming honest with one's self must come before the next step, which is:

Step No.3: Be humble.

You know, it takes the ability to be honest with one's self before one can see the real relevance of living a life of humility.

There are a tremendous number of scriptures regarding the subject of humility. In the last few years, it seems there have been an increased number of messages on this particular subject, which would tend to indicate that more of us are realizing this topic to be quite important. Certainly, this is most encouraging, as, obviously, it is not a topic that can be overstated.

Any time you start to hear certain themes...as human beings, you know, it starts early on. When we're children, if our parents tell us, "Now, this is what I want you to do and this is what I want you to stay away from," over time, as you continue to hear, "This is what I want you to do and this is what I want you to stay away from," what is the natural reaction for us, as children? To start tuning it out. "I've heard this lecture before. I've been there, done that." No, {phttt}, off goes the switch. It starts early in life, so it stands to reason that as we grow on and if we start to get a certain theme or message or something that seems to be preached with a little more emphasis on a more regular basis, frankly, it's very easy for us sometimes to begin to tune it out. "Oh, I've heard this." Is it not? I mean, those who have been around a long time can say, at one point or another, all of us heard from somewhere, "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah...tree of good and evil. Oh, yeah, yeah, why were we born?" I bring that up simply to make the point that it is so easy for us to tune things out that honestly have got to get through in order for us to grow to the next step.

What we reap, again, will not be terribly pleasing to us if what we sow continues to be some of the things that we for so long have sown.

Let's go to James, chapter 4. Again, in the last few years, it seems we have had an increased number of messages on the subject of humility. Let's take a look at just a couple of these passages, or a couple of passages reminding us of how important this aspect really is. James, chapter 4...I'm sorry, it takes me a touch longer. I'm still breaking in this new Bible. James 4, beginning in verse 6, it says:

James 4:6 - God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Verse 10 - Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

You know, it's only as we humble ourselves, as we repent and give ourselves completely to God that we can be blessed beyond measure and someday given eternal life; but I remind you that this cannot occur unless you first become responsible, followed then by being honest with yourself, because if those first two steps don't occur, we can never get to the humility point. It won't happen.

Just exactly what does it mean to become humble? Is it described anywhere? Let's go to Matthew 18, beginning in verse 1:

Matt. 18:1-4 - At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

I personally believe that one of the most precious things in life is to see a trusting small child and a loving mother or father. It's one of the most innocent, one of the most precious things you can ever see. Most children don't have to learn the hard way, for example, that if you touch a stove when it's turned on, it will hurt you. Now, occasionally someone either hasn't been told or someone forgets; but as a general rule, a young child that's told that learns pretty quickly and pretty early, without having to touch it, that if you touch that, it will burn, it will hurt. They don't question the loving parent. That is what our loving Father is looking for in us. A complete trust, a respect, a teachable, humble heart.

Without sowing humility, what we reap will not be pleasing to God.

Let's go to one more in Philippians, chapter 2. Let's begin in verse 5:

Phil. 2:5-11 - Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Christ, of course, is the ultimate example for which we are to follow. He was perfect in every way; and that, of course, includes this example regarding humility.

The final point I wanted to pass along on how we can grasp the magnitude of reaping what we sow is:

Step No.4: Be Zealous.

In order to be pleased with what we reap, we must love God's truth zealously. In order to stir from within, there has to be a zeal, a fire in our belly. That's one of the trademarks, actually, of a championship athlete. They have a passion, a zeal, a fire in the belly, to be the best that they possibly can at their sport. Tremendously successful businessmen and businesswomen have that same zeal for their career. If we wish to improve what we are reaping spiritually, we absolutely, positively must sow zealously, meaning the intensity with which we live the truth of God needs to always be improving. It's got to be more than, "You know what? So-and-so said a good statement. He's right. I agree with that," and promptly go out and do nothing about it.

I was having a conversation with someone this week, talking about what my prayer is for Sarah now that she's out on her own, starting ABC this week. All parents that have reached the crossroad of letting one out of their house have torn emotions about the whole concept and idea of letting their child go, knowing that that is the plan and that's the way it works. That's the way it's supposed to be. Realizing, on the other hand, that they're closing a chapter of their life that they will never again have open in quite the same way. I pray that God will protect her and, most importantly, help her to see and understand more deeply as each day passes that loving/obeying (because they go together-that's how we show our love), the truth that God has given is by far the most important thing in life. I pray that she develops a sincere zeal for God and the instruction that He gives us. What she chooses to do career-wise, what else happens in her life, they hardly even pale in comparison. They're not even that much of a comparison to being zealous for the truth of God.

You can be the wealthiest person in the world, you can have the greatest job, you can have a lot of things, and they don't hold a candle to the truth of God. Brethren, I want to be more zealous. I hope you want to be more zealous.

Let's go to Philippians, chapter 1, verse 27:

Phil. 1:27 - Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel...

Striving implies zeal, having that fire in our belly. When we stand for truth firmly, when we strive to grow, and we hunger for more knowledge from God, what we reap will be tremendously pleasing to Him.

Let's go to Daniel, chapter 3, we'll read beginning in verse 15. We're familiar with the story. We're breaking into it, of course, here, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego:

Dan. 3:15 - "Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?" Again, trying to put us in the mode of what is taking place here. I can only imagine staring that directly in the face-death, for what I believe. It's hard to grasp, on one level.

Verses 16-18 - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

That, brethren, is not only faith, but a real zeal to obey God. Are you zealous in the same way to obey God? Some time back we spent a couple of sermons going through the life of Joshua. Actually, as a result of going through much of the study leading up to that and then giving those sermons, he rapidly became one of, if not my favorite, biblical character. Let's go to Joshua, chapter 24, and once again remind ourselves of a very valuable lesson that's taught here in the end of the book. I'm going to read right here about his zeal. Joshua 24 and verse 15 says:

Josh. 24:15 - "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

We all know we have the choice to obey God. We know we have the choice to be excited about the word of God. We know we have the choice to be a real active part of the body. We also know we have a choice to disregard it all. Notice verse 16:

Verse 16 - So the people answered and said...they were obviously on a high and excited at that time..."Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; Amen! I hear what you're saying." They were fired up about what Joshua said. "We're right behind you all the way. Amen, brother!" But what happened to their zeal after Joshua passed?

Fellow family members, I can't make you excited about stirring up what God has given you. The excitement and enthusiasm and recognition of its relevance has to come from God's Holy Spirit, but I can tell you that the Bible is very clear about the fact that each one of us reaps what we sow. I don't doubt for a moment that each of you in here would agree with that statement. I mean, after all, we turned to it and we read it at the beginning of the sermon. But, brethren, I want this to mean so much to you and to me that we will actually grasp the magnitude of this to the point where we want to act on it daily.

At the last deacons meeting we had at our home, I asked the men and their wives what can we do to help stir up what I hope and pray is in each of you. What will it take to get each of us more involved with the word of God? What will it take to get each of us more involved with this Church? What will it take to get us to become the family that God wants us to be? And, again, I don't mean to imply that we have all sorts of problems or that we don't get along or anything of that nature, because I know that's not the case. I simply mean, how can we better stir what is within us?

You know, I'm absolutely convinced, and assume you are also, that we all reflect or we will reflect and do reflect the environment around us. You heard what I read from the beginning of the sermon. We live in a society that wants you to believe largely that you can do what you want, when you want, how you want, and nobody can tell you otherwise; and if they try, they can just kiss off. As a result, much of what this society is reaping is hurtful, painful, sick, and downright evil. If we are to reap anything differently, we must sow completely differently.

We have to stir up what God has made available to us, and that requires us to be zealous. We won't be zealous, brethren, without first being humble; and we will not be humble without first being honest with ourselves; and we won't be honest with ourselves until we learn to take responsibility. I wish and I pray fervently that you and I will take this seriously to the point of active motivation. It's merely the truth of God sitting in the pages of the Bible until we choose to do something about it. What do you mean, it's merely the truth of God? Isn't that a good thing? Obviously, the truth of God is a great thing, but what does that really mean if we don't do anything with it. There are probably millions and millions of people who would agree with the statement that you reap what you sow. After all, it's not really new news, is it? Yet millions of people continue to live their lives in such a way as to treat lightly or even ignore what that really implies.

Fellow family members, it's our job to be responsible, to be honest, to be humble, and to be zealous and have that fire in our belly for the truth of God. If and when we practice this, if and when we stir this from within, we will be blessed and we and God will be very happy with what we reap.

© 2001 United Church of God, an International Association