ICCC Indonesia Newsletter February 2011

B e r i t a I C C C I n d o n e s i a – F e b r u a r i 2 0 1 1

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Edisi Februari

Untuk kalangan sendiri BERITA INTERN UNTUK ANGGOTA DAN KOMUNIKASI BAGI KALANGAN DUNIA BISNIS DAN PROFESI KRISTEN

ICCC ADALAH MIMBAR DIMANA

PESAN KRISTUS BAGI KITA DI ZAMAN INI DIJABARKAN,

DIBAGIKAN DAN DINYATAKAN TERHADAP DUNIA BISNIS

NATIONAL BOARD

Spiritual Counselor Pdm. Bunan Djambek National President Benjamin B. Juwono Vice Presidents:

Admin/Secretary Tonny Soetjoadi

Finance/Treasurer: Manimbul L. Sitorus

Membership/Mentoring/ Network Simon Aditan

Teaching / Training Eliezer H. Hardjo Johanis S. Najoan Ridwan Naftali

Business Development/ Micro-Enterprise Kristanta Dewara Rudolf A.S. Sinaga Johny Rempas Michael Albinus Agus Susanto Markus Christianto

Intercessors Eddy S. Kristiawan

Mohan U. Vasandani (Mrs.) Suzanna Suadi (Mrs.) Josephine S. Sitorus (Ms.) Hermina M. Usmany Paul Tapilatu

Kantor National ICCC Indonesia:

Website: www.iccc-indonesia.com Pertokoan Pulo Mas Blok B I / 8, Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan. Jakarta 13260

Telp (021) 4890211, fax: (021) 4722274. E-mail: [email protected]

[email protected], [email protected]

Saudara-saudaraku, Shalom!

Saudara-saudaraku, Shalom!

Selamat berjumpa kembali di Berita ICCC

Indonesia – edisi February 2011.

Pada edisi bulan ini saya ingin mengulas satu

faktor kunci sukses untuk kita dapat masuk ke

dalam dimensi yang lebih tinggi dalam dunia

bisnis yaitu Kingdom Business.

Faktor dependence & independence adalah faktor yang mendasar bagi

kita untuk mengalami Tuhan dalam kehidupan bisnis kita.

Pada awal Tuhan menciptakan manusia ,mereka memelihara ciptaanNya

dengan memiliki sifat dependence upon God .Sesuatu begitu indah dan

sempurna.Namun ketika dosa masuk dalam kehidupan manusia, manusia

berubah menjadi independence from God.

Satu individu,kelompok atau bangsa yang mengupayakan sifat dependence

upon God akan berjalan dalam kesejahteraan dan pemeliharaan dalam

Tuhan,sebaliknya jika faktor yang kedua menjadi pilihan,maka keadaan

yang sebaliknya,yaitu kemiskinan, malapetaka dan berbagai masalah akan

mengikuti kita.

Mazmur 81 : 14 “ Sekiranya umat-Ku mendengarkan Aku! Sekiranya Israel

hidup menurut jalan yang Kutunjukkan!

Ayat 17 : “ umat-Ku akan Kuberi makan gandum yang terbaik dan dengan

madu Aku akan mengenyangkannya.”

Alangkah nikmatnya kehidupan yang mengembangkan sifat dependence

upon God ,namun kenyataannya betapa sulitnya juga untuk mengambil

langkah ke arah sana. Selaku orang Kristen yang telah lahir barupun, bagi

kita rasanya amat berat menuju ke arah dependence upon God.

Marilah kita sadari bahwa ada musuh yang selalu ingin mencuri,

membunuh dan membinasakan berkat kita, ia beroperasi dalam pola pikir

kita. Kita harus berperang saat musuh itu mengancam keluarga atau

pekerjaan kita.

Musuh kita akan terus menggiring kita pada pola pikir lama yang duniawi-

dengan mendifinisikan sukses dalam spirit independence from God.

Tidak ada cara lain dalam menuju sifat dependence upon God yaitu

mempelajari kebenaran dalam Alkitab,merenungkan (meditasi) kebenaran

itu,dan aktif membahas dan mengulas kebenaran Alkitab melalui kelompok

pembelajaran,seminar dll.

Oleh sebab itu Transform Working Life adalah sarana praktis yang tepat

dan pasti untuk kita memiliki spirit of dependence upon God .

Kembangkan terus kerinduan dan passion untuk terus belajar dan

membahas kebenaran Firman.

Kami mengingatkan juga bahwa Seminar ICCC dengan Topik

“Transformed of Wealth Through Business” terbuka untuk umum dan

kami nantikan kehadiran anda.

Benjamin Bambang Juwono

National President

ICCC INDONESIA

www.iccc-indonesia.com

BERITA ICCC INDONESIA 2011

B e r i t a I C C C I n d o n e s i a – F e b r u a r i 2 0 1 1

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INDONESIA

Annual Members Gathering 2011

Annual Members

Gathering (AMG) 2011

akan berlangsung pada hari

Sabtu, tanggal 19 Februari

2011 di Janur Asri, Klub

Kelapa Gading yang akan

diisi dengan seminar

dengan topik “Transfer of Wealth through

Business” (Amsal 13: 22 & Yesaya 60: 5) yang akan dibawakan Pdt. Robinson

Nainggolan SE, MSc.

Hubungi Kantor Nasional (Sdri. Yurie:

4890211) pada alamat yang tercantum pada

halaman muka Berita ICCC Indonesia ini

untuk memperoleh tempat yang terbatas.

Biaya kontribusi hanya Rp. 200.000 (termasuk makan siang, coffee & snacks dan makalah).

International Christian Chamber of

Commerce

INDONESIA

INVITATION

ANNUAL MEMBERS GATHERING 2011

& SEMINAR

“Transfer of Wealth through Business” (Amsal 13: 22 & Yesaya 60: 5)

Klub Kelapa Gading - 19 Februari 2011

New National Board Election

Dalam kesempatan Annual Members

Gathering pada tanggal 19 Februari 2011

mendatang akan diselenggarakan juga

pemilihan National Preisdent yang baru dan

selanjutnya pembentukan National Board

yang baru.

Mari kita doakan dan membawa rencana ini

ke hadapan Tuhan dan meminta Tuhan

sendiri memilih member yang tepat untuk

menjabat tugas ini tiga tahun ke depan.

Semua member berhak memilih dan dipilih

dan untuk proses pemilihan ini akan dipimpin

oleh Johanis S. Najoan.

FORUM ANGGOTA

MEMBERSHIP FEE

Bagi anda yang akan memperpanjang kartu keanggotaan anda untuk tahun 2011 sudah dapat dan agar menghubungi Simon Aditan V.P. Membership melalui HP: 0816974647 atau email

([email protected]) Annual Membership Fee untuk tahun 2011 mengikuti peraturan International dalam kategori Developing Nation menjadi Rp. 600.000 dimana US$ 50 dikirim ke Kantor Pusat di Swedia sebagai syarat dan kewajiban International Membership Membership Fee dapat ditransfer ke rekening ICCC Indonesia atau FORUKIN dibawah ini, dan mengirimkan bukti transfernya dengan fax ke alamat yang tercantum paling bawah dari setiap halaman Newsletter ini:

Rekening Bank:

CIMB NIAGA BANK Cabang Senen - Jakarta

No. 200-01-00012-00-0 a/n : Forum Komunikasi Usahawan Kristen Indonesia (FORUKIN).

B e r i t a I C C C I n d o n e s i a – F e b r u a r i 2 0 1 1

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KONTAK BISNIS 1. Surya Delapan Mas

Tonny Soetjoadi – Director Offices:

1. HWI Lindeteves 4th Floor, Block B No. 7

Jalan Hayam Wuruk Jakarta (Barat) 11180 – INDONESIA Phone: 062 (21) 6259625 Fax: 062 (21) 6259561 2. Taman Berdikari Santosa Block M No. 16 Jalan Pemuda Jakarta (Timur) 13220 – INDONESIA Phone: 062 (21) 4712821 & 91282388 Fax: 062 (21) 4718293 Line of Business: Distribution of

Chladianplast Corrugated Roof & Flat sheet for Jakarta Metro & Outer Java and International market

Business Opportunity:

Looking for bona-fide Sub-distributors all-over Indonesia as well as outside of Indonesia, preferably having vast networks & experiences in distribution of building materials. Serious inquiry can be directed to Tonny Soetjoadi, Director ([email protected] or mobile: +62811193202

2. HeavenSpring Consulting & Agencies Co.

Eliezer Hernawan Hardjo Ph.D., CM Jalan Pegangsaan Indah Barat B I / 8 Pondok Gading Utama Jakarta 14250 – INDONESIA Phone: 062 (21) 4521141 Fax: 062 (21) 4533070 Mobile: (062) 815-13203415 E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Partners:

1. Institute of Certified Professional Managers – James Madison University, VA, USA

2. DF Solusi Consulting – Indonesia

Line of Business: Business & Management Consulting (Seminar, Training & Consulting)

Bagi member yang berminat untuk dicantumkan dalam kolom ini (free of charge) dimohon untuk meng-update data dan mengirim ke e-mail: [email protected] seperti contoh diatas

Nama Perusahaan Person in Charge dan Contact person Alamat lengkap termasuk no. Telepon/fax dan

e-mail Line of business Specific products yang ingin ditawarkan

(dengan foto kalau ada – yang di-compressed)

The distance between ordinary &

extraordinary is shorter than you think!

By John C Maxwell

(Image courtesy of photobucket)

What do you think of when I say the word

―ordinary?‖ These are the words that come to

my mind: Common. Usual. Normal. Boring.

Average. Something you see every day.

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What about ―extraordinary?‖ I think of:

Amazing. Incredible. Uncommon. Unusual.

Special. Above average. New.

In the English language, only four little letters

separate ―ordinary‖ from ―extraordinary:‖

extra. And while ―extra‖ can be defined as

―outside,‖ in English it also means ―just a little

bit more.‖

The word we use is not as important as the idea:

the distance between ordinary and extraordinary

is shorter than you think. For too long, people

have thought there was a huge gap between

normal and special. They‘ve assumed that

―above average‖ was far above ―average.‖

Unfortunately, once you believe that, it‘s easy

to conclude that since you‘re ―average,‖ you‘ll

never be anything else; that there‘s no way to

claw your way up to ―above average.‖

I‘m here to tell you that you‘ve made the gap

too wide. Let me illustrate. If you‘re an average

reader, you‘ve taken 2-3 seconds to read this

paragraph so far. Two lines of text = one

second. How much more would you be able to

read in another second? Another line? Not very

much, but really, what difference does a second

make?

Well, in some areas of life, a second makes all

the difference in the world. Have you heard of

Usain Bolt? Often referred to as The Fastest

Man in the World, Bolt is the current world-

record holder for the 100-meter race in track

and field. His record for that race is 9.69

seconds. In the Olympics, he won the gold

medal racing against seven other men in the

finals. What was the time difference between

his time and that of the silver medalist, Richard

Thompson? Thompson ran the 100 meters that

day in 9.89 seconds. The difference between

gold and silver was .2 seconds. The ―fastest

man in the world,‖ the winner of that race and

world-record holder, ran 100 meters in 2/10 of a

second less than his nearest competitor. A

second – or even a fraction of a second – CAN

make a huge difference.

In life, just as in sports, an extraordinary

performance is often separated from an

ordinary one by the slightest of margins. What

if your ordinary life could become

extraordinary with only the smallest of

changes? Would it be worth trying?

Here are some ―extras‖ that can help you close

the gap between ordinary and extraordinary:

A little extra effort. There is a price to be paid

for achievement. Sometimes it‘s a large price.

But sometimes just a little extra effort can yield

significant results. What price are you willing

to pay for success?

A little extra time. To give something time, we

need something other than perseverance. We

need patience with the process of growth. I

believe that many of us overestimate events and

underestimate the process. But we‘ve got it all

wrong. As I wrote in the Law of Process in The

21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, leaders

develop daily, not in a day.

A little extra help. I love this saying: ―If you

see a turtle on top of a fence post, you know he

had help getting there!‖ Why do I love it?

Because I‘m a turtle on a fencepost. I know that

I didn‘t get to where I am in life on my own.

I‘m just not that smart, gifted, or fast. The truth

is that those who reached ―extraordinary‖ had

help getting there. And many types of success

can only be achieved with help. If you refuse to

ask for – or accept – it, you limit yourself and

your work to a lower level of achievement.

Remember that ordinary and extraordinary are

not far apart. If you accomplish just one of the

above ―extras,‖ your work will begin to be

above average in that area.

If Ordinary People …

Gave a Little Extra Effort,

Spent a Little Extra Time,

Sought a Little Extra Help …

They Would Become Extraordinary!

(Kirimkan kutipan, artikel, kata-kata mutiara atau kisah pengalaman anda yang dapat memperkuat iman pembaca Newsletter ini kepada TUHAN baik itu berupa pengalaman pribadi maupun orang lain dengan ciri utama bisnis dan rohani)

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Transformed Working Life (TWL) adalah Pelatihan resmi dari Kantor Internasional bagi anggota ICCC dalam memperlengkapi anggota dengan pengetahuan dan pemahaman latar

belakang, tujuan dan penerapan prinsip-prinsip Kerajaan TUHAN bagi dunia bisnis dan profesi. TWL diperuntukkan bagi anggota dan dapat diikuti secara Cuma-Cuma, namun terbuka juga bagi siapa saja yang berminat untuk mengikutinya.

TWL diselenggarakan dalam bahasa

Indonesia dan dilengkapi dengan buku panduannya, yang telah diterjemahkan kedalam Bahasa Indonesia juga, sehingga para peserta betul-betul akan memperoleh manfa’at yang besar dan mengalami transformasi dalam kehidupan pribadi maupun bisnisnya. TWL difasilitasi oleh anggota National Board yang terlatih dan dikoordinir oleh V.P. Teaching: Eliezer H. Hardjo bersama dengan Teaching Team: Johanis S. Najoan dan Ridwan Naftali Transformed Working Life (TWL) akan ditayangkan dalam salah satu channel di Indonesia agar dapat dimanfaatkan oleh para pebisnis & profesional Kristiani di Indonesia bagaimana menerapkan prinsip-prinsip Kerajaan Tuhan dalam kehidupan berbisnis dan bekerja mereka. Tolong dukung agar maksud ini dapat terealisir di tahun 2011 mendatang. TWL bagi members secara rutin diadakan pada hari Sabtu ke 2 setiap bulan dan terbuka dan dianjurkan bagi semua member untuk mengikutinya sebagai pembekalan wajib.

Apa itu ICCC?

Forum dimana pesan Kristus untuk zaman ini dijabarkan, disampaikan dan dinyatakan

kepada Dunia Bisnis

ICCC adalah badan yang independen dan inter-denominasi, bukan menjadi bagian dari suatu gereja tertentu namun ikut melayani

gereja yang membutuhkan pelayanan ICCC. ICCC berkantor Pusat di Orebrö Swedia dan saat ini telah berada di sekitar 65 negara di

lima benua.

ICCC Indonesia melakukan berbagai kegiatan dan pelayanan baik terhadap

anggota, maupun terhadap dunia bisnis khususnya dalam lingkungan Kristiani.

Undanglah kami untuk memberikan

presentasi mengenai visi, misi dan tujuan ICCC bagi dunia bisnis dan profesi

VISI, MISI DAN

TUJUAN ICCC

International Christian Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) lahir dari kepatuhan terhadap visi yang diberikan selama kurun waktu enam tahun kepada seorang usahawan Swedia J. Gunnar Olson, yang diteguhkan dengan nubuatan dan terbukanya pintu kesempatan disekitarnya yang sebelumnya tertutup. ICCC merupakan panggilan yang serius dan menantang bagi pengusaha Kristen untuk mengenali jaman yang sedang kita masuki dan dengan terang dari pengenalan itu memasuki dimensi iman yang baru yang disediakan bagi mereka yang …” takut akan TUHAN … berbicara satu sama lain … dan menghormati namaNya.” (Maleakhi 3: 16)

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Visi ini memanggil para pengusaha dan kaum profesi di seluruh dunia yang terbeban untuk saling berhubungan, bertukar pendapat, memperdagang-kan barang dan menyediakan jasa, saling mendukung dan menguatkan secara rohani dan materi. Berdasarkan eksistensi dari visi itu sendiri memproklamirkan otoritas Kristus yang mutlak diseluruh dunia. Pada intinya ICCC adalah kehendak TUHAN untuk memperluas tali kasih-Nya, melalui gereja-Nya, didalam dunia usaha. Hal ini menuntut para pelaku bisnis mencari terlebih dahulu Kerajaan-Nya dan segala Kebenaran-Nya. Urapan tersedia bagi mereka yang dengan mata melihat dan telinga mendengar panggilan jaman. Sebagaimana halnya Raja Daud yang menerima urapan untuk menjadi raja, jauh sebelum dia menjadi Raja, yang keadaan pada saat urapan diberikan sama sekali tidak mungkin bagi Daud untuk menjadi Raja, demikianlah ICCC memanggil para pengusaha Kristen sebelum peristiwanya terjadi untuk mengalami kebebasan masuk ke dalam dimensi baru, dimana sasaran, strategi dan perencanaan bersama-sma diwujud-nyatakan sesuai dengan iman di dalam Kristus. ICCC mencanangkan panggilan itu sejalan dengan rencana TUHAN bagi jaman ini sebagai kunci memperoleh berkat dan pertumbuhan dan agar dapat bangkit berkemenangan diatas gelombang ombak yang mengancam.

Panggilan ICCC: “Mereka akan menjadi

milik kesayanganKu sendiri, firman

TUHAN semesta Alam pada hari yang

Kusiapkan. Aku akan mengasihi mereka

sama seperti seseorang menyayangi

anaknya yang melayani dia. Maka kamu

akan melihat kembali perbedaan antara

orang benar dan orang fasik, antara

orang yang beribadah kepada TUHAN dan

orang yang tidak beribadah kepada-Nya.” (Maleakhi 3: 17-18)

KEYAKINAN IMAN ICCC:

Satu-satunya TUHAN pencipta segala

sesuatu dalam kesatuan Trinitas: Bapa,

Anak, dan Roh Kudus.

Keilahian TUHAN Yesus Kristus.

Kelahiran-Nya dari rahim seorang Perawan. Karya penebusan dosa

manusia melalui kematian-Nya diatas

kayu salib. Kebangkitan-Nya. Hak otoriatas diri-Nya atas dunia dan

Kedatangan-Nya yang kedua kali dalam

Kuasa dan Kemuliaan-Nya.

Alkitab, sepenuhnya sebagai Firman

TUHAN yang memberikan inspirasi dan

berbagai peraturan bagi kehidupan yang

dilandasi iman.

Keselamatan pribadi orang berdosa dan

kebutuhannya untuk mengalami proses regenerasi melalui karya Roh Kudus

dalam menuju menjadikannya sebagai

manusia yang dikehendaki oleh TUHAN, seutuhnya.

“The Law of Sowing and Reaping”

2 Samuel 12:13-14, Galatians 6:7-10

By P. G. Mathew, M.A., M.Div., Th.M.

Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned

against the LORD." Nathan replied, "The LORD

has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.

But because by doing this you have made the

enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the

son born to you will die."

2 Samuel 12:13-14

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A

man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to

please his sinful nature, from that nature will

reap destruction; the one who sows to please the

Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us

not become weary in doing good, for at the

proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not

give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us

do good to all people, especially to those who

belong to the family of believers.

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Galatians 6:7-10

In 2 Samuel 12:13-14 we read, "Then David said

to Nathan, ‗I have sinned against the Lord.‘

Nathan replied, ‗The Lord has taken away your

sin. You are not going to die. But because by

doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord

to show utter contempt, the son born to you will

die.‘" In verse 15 we read, "After Nathan had

gone home, the Lord struck the child that Uriah‘s

wife had born to David, and he became ill," and in

verse 18 we read, "On the seventh day the child

died."

This passage teaches us about the spiritual law of

sowing and reaping, a law that all Christians must

consider as they live their daily lives. As we study

it, we must keep in mind that this is not a word

spoken to a pagan, but to a believer, King David.

We find the same idea repeated in Galatians 6:7-

10, which speaks about sowing to one‘s sinful

nature. It is a passage written to God‘s people, the

church of Galatia, not to pagans. That is why I say

those who profess to be Christians must pay

attention to the spiritual law of sowing and

reaping.

Our Actions Matter

You have probably heard the slogan, "Once

saved, always saved." The idea behind it is that it

doesn‘t matter what Christians do; they will be

saved because they invited Jesus into their hearts.

Those who use this slogan will quote Paul‘s

words in Romans 5:20, "Where sin increased,

grace increased all the more," but what they are

really saying is, "Let us go on sinning that grace

may abound." They will say, "I believe in eternal

security" and then they sin without fear of any

consequences.

I want to tell you that such notions are

delusionary. Not only are such people ignoring

Paul‘s declaration in Romans 6:1, "What shall we

say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace

may increase? By no means!" but they are also

ignoring his words to the Galatians, "You, my

brothers, were called to be free. But do not use

your freedom to indulge the sinful nature. . ."

(Galatians 5:13). In Galatians 6:7 Paul instructed,

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A

man reaps what he sows."

We cannot sow weeds and reap wheat, nor can we

sow thorns and reap strawberries. Hosea tells us if

we sow wind, we will reap a whirlwind, and if we

sow to sin, we will reap destruction, not

righteousness. That is why "Once saved, always

saved"—this claim to justification without clear

evidence of sanctification—is nothing but

equivocation and sheer prevarication.

The God who justifies us will also sanctify us.

The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Without holiness

no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). Yes, I

believe in eternal security of all true believers

because it is clear biblical doctrine, but I also

believe that true believers will practice holiness as

they strive to please the God who saved them. I

also believe that if believers sin, they shall suffer

serious consequences both in this present life and

in the life to come. In other words, it matters how

a Christian lives, and this understanding should

stimulate all true believers to holiness.

David’s Sin Had Consequences

David secretly sinned against Bathsheba by

committing adultery with her and then arranged to

have her husband murdered. When confronted by

God‘s prophet Nathan, David did truly repent of

his sins, so Nathan told David, "The Lord has

taken away your sin. You are not going to die."

But then he added, "But because by doing this

you have made the enemies of the Lord to show

utter contempt, the son born to you will die."

Soon thereafter the Lord struck the child, and he

died.

But even after the infant son of David and

Bathsheba died, there were further consequences

of David‘s sin. In verse 10 Nathan told David,

"Therefore, the sword will never depart from your

house," which can have the meaning "from your

kingdom" as well. In other words, Nathan was

prophesying continuous war within David‘s

kingdom as well as in his own family, and this

literally happened. In the subsequent years,

David‘s kingdom and family experienced great

troubles and sorrows as a direct result of David

indulging secretly in sin. Additionally, because

David had indulged in sexual lust, we find Nathan

telling David in verses 11-12 that his own son

would commit sexual sin against David‘s

concubines, and this came true during Absalom‘s

rebellion (2 Samuel 16:21-22).

Before all these things happened, I am sure David

the believer had thought that he could get away

with it all—a little sowing of evil, a little lust, a

little indulging in the evil pleasure of adultery, a

little arrogance, a little lack of listening to the

word of God, a little laziness, a little injustice—

with no consequences. But what was God saying

through Nathan to David? "No, David. You

sowed evil and you shall reap the consequences.

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You threw a stone into the pond and the ripples

will be many, affecting not only you but your

family and your kingdom."

This is true any time we sin. One sin will produce

a terrible chain reaction of consequences. First, it

will work against you, but then it will work

against your children and your children‘s

children—against your whole family and beyond.

Then it will work against your profession, your

economic status, and your health. Even one sin

will affect every aspect of your life. That is why I

hope we will pay attention to the lessons from

these passages. I pray that this study will act as a

stimulant to sow not evil but righteousness.

Consequences of Sin in Our Body

The first point we want to examine is the

consequences of our sins here and now. First,

David experienced serious consequences in his

own body. He felt severe pressure in his body

from God Almighty, which he speaks about in

Psalm 32:3-4: "When I kept silent, my bones

wasted away through my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was sapped as in the heat of

summer." King David experienced serious

psychosomatic trouble as a result of his sin. It is

impossible for a Christian to sin and enjoy good

health.

Second, David‘s family suffered. In 2 Samuel 12

we read that there was a child born of the

adulterous relationship between David and

Bathsheba. Nathan, speaking the very word of

God, told David, "Nevertheless, your son shall

surely die." The child‘s death was divine

determination, and no intercession would be heard

on his account. When we read that the Lord struck

the child and he died, we must understand that

this infant died, not for his own sin, but for the sin

of his parents.

We may wonder what is going on here, because

David, after all, was a believer. Let me assure

you, there is no question that King David was

saved and that he will be justified on the last day.

But here the Lord was functioning not as his

Judge, but as his Father. As a son of God, David

had sinned, and God had to chasten him. Why

does God give pain to his children? To produce

holiness in them. That is why David had to be

disciplined, even though it was painful.

The Effects of Parental Sin

What, then, was the result of David‘s sin? The

Lord struck the child and refused to hear prayer

for healing, and the child died on the seventh day.

This was direct judgment for the sin of the child‘s

parents.

Now, children‘s afflictions are not always a result

of parental sin. In John 9 we read about a man

who was born blind. Jesus‘ disciples asked Jesus,

"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that

he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this

man nor his parents sinned," meaning this

particular blindness did not come because of the

specific sin of the man or his parents, "but this

happened so that the work of God might be

displayed in his life," meaning that God could be

glorified through him, which he was. But in

David‘s situation, the child died because of his

parents‘ sin. That also was for the glory of God.

The principle of parental sin affecting children is

mentioned several places in the Scriptures. In

Exodus 20 the second commandment deals with

this principle, which is repeated in Exodus 34:7;

Numbers 14:18; and Jeremiah 32:18. The second

commandment tells us, "For I, the Lord your God,

am a jealous God, punishing the children for the

sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation

of those who hate me" (Exodus 20:5). In other

words, the Lord was telling Israel that he

demanded an exclusive relationship with them,

like the exclusive relationship of a husband and

wife; he would not tolerate Israel having other

gods. If Israel did serve other gods, the holy

jealousy of God would manifest and he would

deal with his people severely.

This is true of the relationship between God and

believers of all ages: violation of this relationship

results in severe judgment which extends to

subsequent generations. A great-grandfather‘s sin

can affect the grandfather, the father, and the

child—four generations. When David sinned, I do

not think he thought much about the effect it

would have upon his own family as well as on the

generations who came after him, and I don‘t think

we think of these things either when we sin.

I pray that God will put some fear of God into our

hearts as we examine the way God dealt with his

people and disciplined them when they sinned

against him. Our sin has an ongoing, evil effect

which affects our future generations. When we

sin, we are sowing an evil seed into a field of

human beings, especially those who are near to

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us, which continues to future generations. How

many children of Christians have learned evil

from their parents and now hate God and practice

evil?

Somebody once said that we sow a thought and

reap an act; we sow an act and reap a habit; we

sow a habit and reap a character; and we sow a

character and reap a destiny.

Evil thoughts produce evil deeds which, in turn,

produce evil habits and evil character, and,

finally, result in evil destiny. When we sow evil,

we produce evil deeds, such as those we read

about in Galatians 5:19: "The deeds of the sinful

nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity

and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred,

discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,

dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness,

orgies, and the like." Is this the inheritance we

want to leave our children?

The Effects of David’s Sin

David felt the consequences of his sins in his own

body and psyche, and then the child born to him

and Bathsheba was killed by divine action. But

that was not the end of the story. In 2 Samuel 13

we read about another son of David, a handsome

man named Amnon. As we read the story of

Amnon, we see that the sexual sin of the father

manifested in his son, not in terms of adultery, but

something worse than that—incest and rape. Did

David think about this kind of thing when he

secretly sinned with Bathsheba? Yes, David

indulged in what he probably considered a little

lust, but I am sure that he never considered that a

time would come when his own son would

manifest this trait in greater grossness. Full of

lust, Amnon devised a scheme and raped Tamar,

who was his own sister through another mother.

Tamar was the full sister of another son named

Absalom, who didn‘t say anything at the time, but

later invited Amnon to come for a feast given by

Absalom during the time of sheep-sheering. This

was a plan by Absalom to murder Amnon, and

Amnon was cut down at the feast. Do you think

David thought about these things when he

committed adultery with Bathsheba and secretly

arranged to have Uriah murdered? No! David‘s

actions were totally self-centered. He acted

blindly, not foreseeing any repercussions in the

generations to come.

Even this tragedy was not the end of the

consequences to David‘s sin. In 2 Samuel 12:11

Nathan told David, "This is what the Lord says:

‗Out of your own household I am going to bring

calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will

take your wives and give them to one who is close

to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad

daylight. You did it in secret and I will make it

happen in broad daylight, and all Israel will

know.‘"

This happened through David‘s son Absalom,

who, like Amnon, was also extremely handsome

and sensual. In 2 Samuel 15 we read that

Absalom rebelled against his father David, and

David had to flee from Jerusalem. David‘s trusted

counselor Ahithophel joined with Absalom, and

on Ahithophel‘s advice, Absalom pitched a tent

on the roof of the palace and had sex with David‘s

concubines in the sight of all Israel. Once again,

we must ask: When we sin, do we think about the

implications of our sin, in our own lives as well as

in the lives of our children, our children‘s

children, and their children in the generations to

come? What arrogance, what blindness, what

shortsightedness we display when we give in to

sin, as David did!

When all Israel joined in Absalom‘s rebellion,

David fled Jerusalem. This also was a direct result

of his secret sin. In 2 Samuel 15:30 we read, "But

David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping

as he went; his head was covered and he was

barefoot," and later on we read that a man named

Shimei came out and cursed King David and

threw dirt on him as he passed by.

Additionally, Absalom himself suffered for his

father David‘s sin. In 2 Samuel 18:14-15 we read

that when David‘s army caught up with Absalom,

"Joab said, ‗I am not going to wait like this for

you.‘ So he took three javelins in his hand and

plunged them into Absalom‘s heart while

Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. And ten of

Joab‘s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck

him and killed him." What was David‘s reaction

to Absalom‘s death? In verse 33 we read, "The

king was shaken. He went up the room over the

gateway and wept as he went. He said, ‗O my son

Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had

died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my

son!‘" You see, David had not wanted his son to

be killed. He had instructed his men to spare

Absalom, but David‘s wish was not granted. Oh,

what grief, what pain, what agony, what misery

David experienced—all because of his own sin!

We never think anything this serious will happen

when we plant our little seed of sin, do we? Let

me tell you, the seed of sin is extremely potent. It

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will spring up, the root will go down, and in due

time there will be fruit—serious, grievous fruit.

The consequences of David‘s sin did not end with

Absalom‘s death. Before David died, Adonijah

tried to ensure the succession for himself, even

though Solomon was God‘s choice. After David

died, Adonijah, who was full of lust, came to

Solomon‘s mother Bathsheba, saying he had only

one request: he wanted Bathsheba to ask Solomon

to give him Abishag, a very beautiful girl who

was the last wife of David. Here again we see the

sexual lust of David working in the lives of his

sons.

In 1 Kings 2:22 we read, "Then King Solomon

answered his mother, ‗Why do you request

Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? You

might as well request the kingdom for him. . . ."

Adonijah‘s last grasp for power ended in his own

destruction, and in 1 Kings 2:25 we read, "King

Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada,

and he struck down Adonijah and he died." We

may want to adjust our view of God. He is a holy

God who deals with sin severely.

Continuing Effects of Sin

Even the death of Adonijah was not the end of the

consequences of David‘s sin. Remember Nathan‘s

words, "the sword shall never depart from your

house"? Generations went by, and in 2 Chronicles

21 we find some further effects of David‘s sin in

the lives of his descendants. In verses 1-2 we

read, "Then Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers

and was buried with them in the City of David.

And Jehoram his son succeeded him as king.

Jehoram‘s brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, were

Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael and

Shephatiah." And in verse 4 we read, "When

Jehoram established himself firmly over his

father‘s kingdom, he put all his brothers to the

sword along with some of the princes of Israel."

Jehoram‘s actions resulted from the sin of his

forefather David. I hope this will make us a little

careful when we are tempted to sin, especially

when no one is watching but God.

The consequences of David‘s sin continued—

wave after wave after wave of pain and suffering

and misery and grief in the line of David. In 2

Chronicles 22, we read that Athaliah, a

granddaughter of Ahab, rose to power in Judah

when her son Ahaziah was killed. In verse 10 we

read, "When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw

that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy

the whole royal family of the house of Judah."

Here we find more people being killed because of

David‘s sin. This is exactly what Nathan meant

when he said, "Because you have done this, the

sword shall never depart from your house." There

was big-time family trouble among David‘s

descendants, all as a result of David‘s sin.

When we have family trouble, have we ever

wondered why such things are happening to us?

We tend to get upset with God and accuse him of

not doing anything right for us. But don‘t be so

quick to blame God. We may be short-sighted and

forgetful, but maybe it is time to look back and

see what we did twenty, thirty, or forty years ago,

and face reality.

In 2 Kings 25 we meet the last king of Judah, a

son of Josiah named Zedekiah. When the

Babylonians came against Jerusalem, the prophet

Jeremiah urged Zedekiah and his people to

surrender to them, but Zedekiah refused to listen

to Jeremiah. He did not want to believe God or

submit to him because he hated God. Zedekiah

thought he could escape, but he was captured by

the Babylonians, who put his sons to death before

his eyes and then put out his eyes. The last thing

Zedekiah saw was the God-ordained killing of his

own children by the Babylonians, and in due

course he himself was killed. Oh, the serious

consequences of David‘s sin!

Illustrations of Sowing and Reaping

I want to examine some other examples of the

spiritual principle of sowing and reaping so that

we can be convinced of the serious consequences

our sin can produce. In the book of Joshua we

read about a man named Achan who was part of

the Israelite army that had conquered Jericho. I

am sure Achan was present when Joshua gave the

army God‘s command to totally destroy

everything in Jericho and take no plunder. I am

sure he heard the word of God, but when he saw

some objects that he wanted to keep for himself,

Achan probably reasoned, "I think God is

somewhat deficient. He doesn‘t see everything, so

he won‘t see me stealing these things. As long as I

can bury them in the ground, God wouldn‘t be

able to see them and I won‘t be caught." (PGM)

Isn‘t this the reason we sin also? We have this

idea that God does not see everything we do.

Over against the clear word of God, Achan took

some plunder from Jericho and buried it, thinking

that God did not see him.

By divine intervention Achan‘s sin was revealed

to the whole assembly of Israel, and in Joshua

7:24-25 we find the consequences of Achan‘s sin,

both for Achan and his family: "Then Joshua,

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together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah,

the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and

daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent

and all that he had to the Valley of Achor," which

means valley of trouble. "Joshua said, ‗Why have

you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will

bring trouble on you today.‘ Then all Israel stoned

him and after they had stoned the rest, they

burned them.‘"

In 1 Samuel 1-4 we read about Eli, who was

God‘s priest. It was Eli‘s job to teach God‘s truth

to the people, but he did not. Additionally, Eli

failed to restrain his sons even though they

showed great contempt for the Lord. In 1 Samuel

2:30-33 we find God‘s judgment on Eli:

Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: "I

promised that your house and your father‘s house

would minister before me forever." But now the

Lord declares: "Far be it from me! Those who

honor me I will honor, but those who despise me

will be disdained. The time is coming when I will

cut short your strength and the strength of your

father‘s house, so that there will not be an old

man in your family line and you will see distress

in my dwelling. Although good will be done to

Israel, in your family line there will never be an

old man. Every one of you that I do not cut off

from my altar will be spared only to blind your

eyes with tears and to grieve your heart, and all

your descendants will die in the prime of life."

These are shocking words from the mouth of

God! But what happened because of Eli‘s sin?

Not only did Eli and his sons die, but in 1 Samuel

22 we are told that eighty-five male descendants

of Eli—eighty-five priests—were slaughtered in

one day by Doeg the Edomite. It is interesting to

note that we find no mention of God interfering to

spare the lives of these priests.

Does this picture of God surprise you? Oh, most

of us want some kind of nice God who will close

his eyes to every disobedience and every sin, but

there is no such God. There are serious

consequences when we sin against God.

In 1 Kings we read about Jeroboam. God raised

him up, made him a king, and gave him ten tribes

of Israel to rule over. But as soon as Jeroboam

became king, he turned his back upon God. In 1

Kings 14 we read that when Jeroboam‘s son

became sick, Jeroboam sent his wife to the

prophet Ahijah to inquire whether the child was

going to live or not. On Jeroboam‘s instructions,

his wife disguised herself and went to this

prophet. She was like the people who only go to

God when they experience serious trouble. But

even though the prophet was blind, he knew the

woman who had come was Jeroboam‘s wife. As

soon as Jeroboam‘s wife entered the house, the

Holy Ghost came upon Ahijah and he began to

prophesy the destiny of Jeroboam, his children,

and the nation of Israel. Beginning in 1 Kings

14:7 we read Ahijah‘s words:

Go, tell Jeroboam that this what the Lord, the God

of Israel, says: ‗I raised you up form among the

people and made you a leader over my people

Israel. I tore the kingdom away from the house of

David and gave it to you, but you have not been

like my servant David. . . .You have made for

yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you

have provoked me to anger and thrust me behind

your back. Because of this, I am going to bring

disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off

from Jeroboam every last male in Israel—slave or

free. I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one

who burns dung, until it is all gone. Dogs will eat

those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city,

and the birds of the air will feed on those who die

in the country. The Lord has spoken! (1 Kings

14:7-11)

Ahijah continued, "As for you, go back home.

When you set foot in your city, the boy will die.

All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. . . ."

(vv. 12-13). We find the fulfillment of this

prophecy in 1 Kings 14:17. Additionally, Ahijah

said, "The Lord will raise up for himself a king

over Israel who will cut off the family of

Jeroboam" (v. 14), and in 1 Kings 15:29-30 we

read, "And as soon as [Nadab] began to reign, he

killed Jeroboam‘s whole family. He did not leave

Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but destroyed

them all, according to the word of the Lord given

to his servant Ahijah the Shilonite—because of

the sins Jeroboam had committed and had caused

Israel to commit."

Now, children, what do you think? Fathers and

mothers, what do you think? Is it all right to sin?

Oh, it‘s just a little pleasure, that‘s all—just a

little arrogance, a little lust—no big problem. No.

If we sow sin, we will reap grievous, long-lasting

consequences.

Someone may ask, "Aren‘t all these illustrations

from the Old Testament?" Yes, but read 1

Corinthians 11:27-30, where Paul writes,

"Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the

cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be

guilty of sinning against the body and blood of

the Lord. . . . That is why many among you are

weak and sick and many fall asleep." The

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Corinthian Christians did not have to become

weak or sick or die in the midst of their years. The

Bible clearly teaches that these problems were a

direct result of divine dealings against sin. The

people in the church of Corinth refused to pay

heed to the word of God and they suffered

consequences of their sin.

We are living at a time when the evangelical

church will not tolerate any discussion on holiness

or righteousness. I am not speaking about liberal

churches, which don‘t even preach the gospel, but

about those churches that still believe in the word

of God. The vast majority of them do not tolerate

any serious preaching of the truth of holiness; that

we are to obey Jesus Christ and live for him on a

daily basis; that our sin has consequences. In fact,

whenever a minister of the gospel preaches this,

he is not appreciated. But we must declare the full

gospel! Life is not some game we play; it is very

serious. We know a man who is going to die soon,

and I am sure he looks upon life in a very serious

manner. Praise God, he is a serious believer in

Jesus Christ and knows where he is going. But

don‘t get upset with me or any other preacher of

the gospel when we speak about holiness and

righteousness. Read the Bible: the prophets, the

apostles, the gospels. Read the last book of the

Bible, which clearly reveals the glory of God and

the judgment which will be poured out upon

people who will not own him.

I pray that we will conform, not to cultural

Christianity, but to scriptural Christianity. Study

the subject of sanctification, especially as it is

explained by theologians such as the late

Professor John Murray of Westminster

Theological Seminary in the second volume of his

collected works. The goal of sanctification is that

we conform to the image of the Father by

conforming to the image of his Son, so that we

may have fellowship with the Father and the Son.

Salvation must deal with sin or it is not salvation.

Sin must be dealt with, punished, and eradicated.

When that happens, we will be made glorious

because we are called for the purpose of

fellowshiping with God, whose eyes are purer

than to behold sin.

Eternal Consequences of Sin

Not only does sin have consequences in our

personal life, in our family life, in our

professional life, in our economic life, in our

health life, from generation to generation, but it

also makes itself felt when we are summoned

before the judgment seat of Christ.

When we are made manifest in the presence of

God, he will look, not at our outward appearance

but at our very heart and will make manifest

everything we have throughout our life, whether

good or bad. That is why we must examine the

eternal consequences of our sins. Remember, we

are not dealing here with the sin of pagans but

with the sin of God‘s people. There are

consequences to our sin here and now, and there

are also consequences hereafter.

The Judgment of Believers

In 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 Paul wrote, "So we make

it our goal to please him," meaning the Lord Jesus

Christ. Notice, Paul was including himself in this

statement. It was the apostle‘s singular ambition

in life to please the Lord Jesus Christ. "So we

make it our goal to please him," Paul wrote, and

then he gave the reason in verse 10: "For we must

all appear before the judgment seat of Christ."

This translation is not very correct. In the Greek it

is, tous gar pantas hêmas phanerôthênai dei

emprosthen tou bêmatos tou Christou, which

means, "For we must all be made manifest in the

presence of or before the court of Christ, the

judgment seat of Christ." The Greek word dei

tells us this is a must, a divine necessity. No one

will escape this final judgment before Christ.

Professor Philip E. Hughes, who was professor at

Westminster Theological Seminary years ago,

makes this remark about being made manifest

before Christ:

To be made manifest means not just to appear, but

to be laid bare, stripped of every outward facade

of respectability, and openly revealed in the full

and true reality of one‘s character. All our

hypocrisies and concealments, all our secret,

intimate sins of thought and deed, will be open to

the scrutiny of Christ—a clear indication,

incidentally, of the absolute Deity of the

Redeemer, for it is only the divine gaze which

penetrates to the very essence of our personality:

"man looks on the outward appearance, but the

Lord looks on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7). The

conduct of our lives should constantly be

influenced by the solemn remembrance that "there

is no creature that is not manifest in God‘s sight,

but all things are naked and laid open before the

eyes of Him with whom we have to do" (Heb.

4:13; cf. 1 Cor. 4:5).

(Philip E. Hughes, The Second Epistle to the

Corinthians, The New International Commentary

on the Bible, [Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B.

Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1962, 1979], 180).

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Jesus Christ has a judgment seat, and we must all

stand before it. If you travel to Corinth today, you

can still see the ancient judgment seat to which

the apostle Paul was brought by the Jewish

people, as we read in Acts 18. Jesus himself was

brought before the judgment seat of Pilate in

Jerusalem.

So the idea of a bema, or judgment seat, means a

raised place where the judge sat and people would

be brought before him. Here Paul is referring to

the judgment seat of Christ, bêmatos tou

Christou. It is the judgment seat of the Judge of

the whole universe—the Lord Jesus Christ—

whose gaze is directed to the very essence of our

personality. All judgment is given to the Lord

Jesus Christ, and before him everyone will be

stripped bare.

Judgment and Reward

What is the purpose of our coming before him?

"That each one may receive what is due him for

the things done while in the body, whether good

or bad." This is the judgment of believers. Jesus

Christ will judge the works we have done while

we are in our body as believers on earth—every

thought, every word, and every deed. This is a

serious issue.

The purpose of this close examination of our

thoughts, words and deeds by our Judge is to

discover which ones are good and which are

worthless. Then, on the basis of this examination,

in his own gracious manner, the Lord may give

rewards to us.

We find this idea also in 1 Corinthians 3,

beginning with verse 11: "For no one can lay any

foundation other than the one already laid, which

is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this

foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood,

hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it

is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be

revealed with fire,"which is the gaze of the all-

seeing eyes of the Judge, our Lord Jesus Christ,

"and the fire will test the quality of each man‘s

work. If what he has built survives, he will

receive his reward. . . ." Notice the eternal

significance of what we do in the present life.

Even what we have done today will be made

manifest, examined, and weighed in the balance

of God.

Paul concludes, "If it is burned up, he himself will

be saved, but only as one escaping through the

flames." There is no condemnation to those who

are in Christ Jesus, meaning those who are

justified by God. Such people are saved and safe.

But Christ the Judge will examine the works we

have done as believers to determine what rewards

to give us. To some, he will give no reward, while

to others he will give the rulership over five cities,

or ten cities, or whatever he determines. There

will be degrees of reward based on deeds, and

some people will receive no reward, even though

they themselves will be saved.

So Paul was speaking about this appearance, this

manifestation, on the day when God himself

summons us. We shall stand before him, stripped

of all hypocrisy, cover-ups, and argumentation.

Do you think anyone will argue with God on that

day? And it is this understanding that stimulated

Paul to live and breathe for God alone. "We must

all be made manifest before the judgment seat of

Christ."

In the fourth century John Chrysostom wrote

about this verse: "Let us then imagine Christ‘s

judgment-seat to be present now and reckon each

one of us with his own conscience, and account

the Judge to be already present, and everything to

be revealed and brought forth. For we must not

merely stand, but also be manifested." Then he

asks this question, "Do you not blush? Are you

not dismayed?" (Hughes, The Second Epistle to

the Corinthians, p. 180).

Think about these things. I pray that all of us will

use this doctrine as a stimulus to please Christ

alone by imagining that the judge is already here

and we are already standing before him. If we can

have this picture in our minds as we live our daily

lives, we will aim to please the Lord Jesus Christ

in everything.

This doctrine is taught in many places in the

Scriptures, but let us just consider Romans 14:10,

where we read, "For we will all stand before

God‘s judgment seat. It is written: ‗As surely as I

live,‘ says the Lord, ‗every knee will bow before

me and every tongue will confess to God.‘ So,

then, each of us will give an account of himself to

God." This is speaking about how believers lived

their lives on this earth.

We believe in the security of believers and that all

who have trusted in Christ will be saved on the

last day. But there will also be degrees of

authority granted to us based on whether we made

it our aim to please our God on a daily basis or

whether we chose to sin and suffer loss later on.

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How Should We Live

In the light of the consequences of sin in the

present and the future, and the knowledge that

God will reward us for what we do in our bodies,

how must we live in the present? First, we must

realize that what we think and do now matters

significantly, not only in our own lives, but also

in our family‘s life, and in the life of generations

to come. Let us never be so deluded that we say,

"Once saved, always saved, and so it doesn‘t

matter how I live. I am justified."

We must also understand that what we do today

will affect our eternal life. We shall be rewarded

according to the works we do in our bodies as

believers. Every thought, word, and deed will be

examined by the fire of Christ‘s all-seeing eye

and judged.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus told us, "Do

not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,

where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves

break in and steal. But store up for yourselves

treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not

destroy and where thieves do not break in and

steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart

will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21). Christians are to

do good works. That is the purpose of our

Christianity! Thus, as we said earlier, a claim to

justification without clear evidence of

sanctification is utter falsehood. Where there is

justification, there will be sanctification, because

he who justifies us also sanctifies.

In Ephesians 2:10 we read, "For we are God‘s

workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good

works," which means we must live to please our

Lord Jesus Christ. No Christian can escape this

purpose of God for his or her life. As new

creations, we are to do good works, which means

to obey the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 10:42 the Lord himself tells us, "And

if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of

these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell

you the truth, he will certainly not lose his

reward." We must understand that the good works

we do, we are able to do by the grace of God

alone. We must understand all our good works are

imperfect and marred by our sin, and yet God has

purposed to accept them in Jesus Christ. And,

finally, we must understand that Jesus Christ

himself has purposed to reward us for the works

we have done in the body.

Practical Application

How, then, must we live? Sunday School

teachers, you must work hard. Serve God, and

you will be rewarded on that day. Do not become

weary in well-doing. Do not grumble or complain,

but work as unto the Lord.

Parents, you must train up your children in the

way they ought to go, and the Lord will reward

you.

Those who are visiting the sick, you must be

filled with the Spirit and go and visit the sick,

encourage the sick, pray for the sick, minister to

the sick because one day you will be rewarded.

Those who evangelize, do it for the Lord. Don‘t

be discouraged. Be certain that one day the Lord

will reward you.

Those who support God‘s work liberally

financially, continue to do so. One day the Lord

will reward you.

Those who labor in the prayer closet, ask God to

bless his work. Pray faithfully, knowing that God

sees you and will reward you.

Those who work hard to clean and keep the

church in working order, yours is not a glamorous

job, but keep on doing it. One day the Lord will

reward you.

Those who are on the mission field, keep on

preaching the gospel and working in other parts of

the world, in the name of the Lord. You shall be

rewarded in due course.

Those who cook food and perform other hard

work in the church, keep on doing it. This is the

ministry God has given you, and the Lord will

reward you.

Those who faithfully preach the gospel, keep on

doing it! Whether people like it or not, keep on

preaching the gospel. Make it your aim to please

the Lord and he will reward you on that day.

In all of these ways, we are sowing for the glory

of God, and the Scriptures promise that if we sow

to the Spirit, in due season we shall reap an

abundant harvest. The Lord shall bless us here

and reward us on that day when we stand before

him.

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Let us, therefore, lay up our treasure in heaven by

engaging and expending in the work of the Lord.

That is the one sure way of converting the

temporal to eternal.

In his commentary on Galatians, Dr. John R. W.

Stott describes sowing to the flesh as pandering to

our lower nature, cuddling it and stroking it

instead of crucifying it:

The seeds we sow are largely thoughts and deeds.

Every time we allow our mind to harbor a grudge,

nurse a grievance, entertain an impure fantasy, or

wallow in self-pity, we are sowing to the flesh.

Every time we linger in bad company, whose

insidious influence we know we cannot resist,

every time we lie in bed when we ought to be up

and praying, every time we read pornographic

literature, every time we take a risk which strains

our self-control, we are sowing, sowing, sowing

to the flesh. Some Christians sow to the flesh

every day and wonder why they do not reap

holiness. Holiness is a harvest; whether we reap it

or not depends almost entirely on what and where

we sow.

Then Dr. Stott tells us what it means to sow to the

Spirit:

"To ‗sow to the Spirit‘ is the same as ‗to set the

mind on the Spirit‘ (Rom. 8:6) and to ‗walk by

the Spirit‘ (Gal. 5:16, 25). Again, the seeds we

sow are our thoughts and deeds. We are to ‗seek‘

and to ‗set our minds on‘ the things of God,

‗things that are above, not . . . things that are on

earth‘ (Col. 3:1, 2; contrast Phil. 3:19). By the

books we read, the company we keep and the

leisure occupations we pursue, we can be ‗sowing

to the Spirit‘. Then we are to foster disciplined

habits of devotion in private and in public, in

daily prayer and in Bible reading, and in worship

with the Lord‘s people on the Lord‘s Day. All this

is ‗sowing to the Spirit‘; without it, there can be

no harvest of the Spirit, no ‗fruit of the Spirit‘."

(John R.W. Stott, The Message of Galatians,

part of The Bible Speaks Today series,

[Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1968,

1986], 170-1).

May We Sow to God!

As we said before, sin has consequences in our

present life. Suppose your children are wild. Have

you ever wondered why? Have you ever thought

that perhaps their wildness is a result of your own

problems, failures, sins, and stubbornness? Have

you ever thought that whenever we sin, we are

sowing a seed in the field of human beings, which

will grow, become potent, and eventually will

bear fruit? Have you ever considered that not only

does sin have consequences in our personal life,

in our family life, in our professional life, in our

economic life, in our health life, from generation

to generation, but it also makes itself felt when we

are summoned before the judgment seat of Christ?

When we are made manifest in the presence of

God, he will never look at our outward

appearance. He will look at our very heart and

will make manifest everything we have

throughout our life, whether good or bad.

I pray that we will all be able to understand the

comprehensive consequences of the evil that we

commit. Everything we do matters. I hope we will

pay attention to John Chrysostom, and live

imagining that we are already stripped and

standing manifest under the all-knowing gaze of

Christ. May this become the stimulus for us to

sow not to the flesh and the self, but to the Spirit.

May we learn to say "No" to all ungodliness and

"Yes" to the Holy Spirit," and learn to walk in the

Spirit—in faith, in truth, in love, and in wisdom,

so that, when our time comes, we will be ready to

go.

I hope we will purpose today to sow to the Spirit,

to obey God, and to do the will of God so that

there will be personal blessing, family blessing,

and generational blessing to a thousand

generations. Then , when we stand before him, we

will receive God’s blessing: "Well done, thou

good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of

your master!" Amen.

Terimakasih anda telah meluangkan waktu membaca Berita ICCC Indonesia ini dan silahkan mem-forward-nya ke

rekan bisnis anda agar memperoleh berkat rohani yang sama.

Redaksi