Reap What You Sow
God Is Not Mocked
INTRODUCTION:
1. Read text: Gal. 6:7-8
2. It is an immutable law and universal truth – “whatever a man sows, he will also reap.”
(1) Cotton à Cotton; Corn à Corn; Cabbage à Cabbage.
(2) You do not plant beans and expect beets.
3. The truth is equally applicable to the spiritual realm.
(1) You cannot sow
A. Apathy in spiritual matters and expect to reap depth of resource to draw.
B. Anger and expect to reap peace.
C. Impatience and expect to reap perseverance.
D. Covetous and expect to reap content.
E. Murmuring and complaints, and expect to reap integrity.
4. Context of Gal. 6:7-8.
(1) Paul is picturing the Spirit guided life (Gal. 5:21ff). It involves a life of service.
A. V. 24 -“Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
B. Christians are free from the law of Moses, but obligated to law of Spirit (Christ).
(2) A life of service involves – a] Sinning Christians; b] Burdened brethren; c] Teachers; d] all.
(3) Point = teacher shares good things of God with you… you are to share all good things with the instructor.
A. We have our fun with jokes about preacher’s, work one day a week, and pay.
B. BUT, Bible teaches us to share with those who made the sacrifice to sow seed.
C. AND, if a man is willing to preach truth and bear the burdens that come with it… he cannot be paid what he is worth (more than gold, much find gold, sweeter than…”
5. Concerning the subject of reaping and sowing in your life and our life as a congregation, let’s notice three points --- (1) You reap what you sow; (2) You reap more than you sow; and (3) You reap after you sow… (4) Weeds require less effort, but wheat is a more profitable harvest.
DISCUSSION:
I. You Reap What You Sow.
1. World of Noah’s day (Read Gen. 6:2-5.
(1) Wages of sin = death (Rom. 6.23). Flood = death.
(2) Death is what happened to that world. God sent a flood to destroy everything.
(3) You reap what you sow, but notice Gen. 6:8-9. Noah sowed righteousness.
A. Noah got to live. Noah influenced his family to live.
B. Reap what you sow… Noah reaped salvation (self and family).
2. Abraham and Lot (Gen. 13).
(1) Strife existed between Abraham’s herdsmen and those of Lot.
(2) Seems that Abraham, took the high road and sowed peace instead of strife.
(3) Lot, sowed carnally. Looking for the good land.
A. Lot didn’t think about who his neighbors were going to be.
B. Lot wanted the best he could get in the present. He lost everything, including His wife.
3. Judas – sowed to the flesh…
(1) Satan entered into him (John 13.27).
(2) Judas betrayed our Lord (Jn. 18:3).
(3) What reap? ANS – gave back the money with exceedingly bitter cry; gave back the money; and went and hanged himself (Mt. 27:5). “went to his own place” (Acts 1:25).
4. Modern day examples.
(1) Aids in epidemic proportions in Africa; Homosexuality increasing; Child molestors are common place.
(2) Cf. NBC Dateline report – Men arranging for sex online with 14yr old (girl and boy).
(3) Society sowing seeds of lewdness and lasciviousness. (Big business TV, Movie, Music).
(4) Society sowing seeds of materialism…
A. Reap what sow.
B. What is the crop of these things? Peace, joy, happiness, contentment ?
C. ANSWER = NO! Dare say these things are far from today’s society.
(5) Our young families stand as examples seeking balance as raise their children.
A. Soechting’s Parenting Precepts:
a. One of two things will happen as parent. You will tell child what do, or they will tell you what to do.
b. You can always ease off when they get to be 15,16, 17, 18, BUT you cannot bear down at 16,17,18.
5. Point? -- Concerning your eternal spirit… If you, in life, sow to the flesh, you will from the flesh reap corruption. BUT – If you sow to the spirit, you will reap everlasting life.
(1) Life of sin, will never lead you to God.
(2) Life of righteousness / living for God, will never lead you to hell.
II. You Reap More Than You Sow.
1. Plant one watermelon seed, and what do you get? Vine yields several melons, and each melon yields hundreds of seeds (unless seedless?).
2. 2 Cor. 9:6-8) - But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
3. Examples:
(1) Adam and Eve.
A. Garden = paradise = everything you could possibly want. All need do = tend garden.
B. Free to choose, just don’t eat of one tree (knowledge).
C. Reap what you sow. What will you sow? ANSWER = disobedience.
D. What will you reap? ANSWER
a. Kicked out of garden.
b. Pain in childbirth; hard work.
c. What sow? ANSWER = took a piece of fruit. What reap? ANS = DEATH!
(2) Achan (Joshua 7).
A. What did he sow? ANSWER took 1 piece of clothing, bar of gold and bar of silver.
B. What did he reap?
a. Achan and family stoned and burned with fire.
b. Heap of stones over the family.
C. What sow? ANS = he stole a few things. What reap? He killed, family too.
(3) David.
A. What sow? ANS = adultery with Bathsheba, and murder of Uriah.
B. What reap? ANS = daughter defiled by son; Son killed by another son; Son revolts to overthrow father; Son takes father’s concubines; death of child.
(4) Our society.
A. What sow? ANS = lack respect for creator, institution of marriage, preoccupation with sex.
B. What reap? Divorce, abortion, perversity, child molestation.
C. When it comes to such as gambling, drinking, immodesty, physical contact… REMEMBER, you reap MORE than you sow…
4. Yet, for us as Christians, there is a blessing contained within this “law.”
(1) Following steps of Jesus, we sow seeds of kindness, peace, goodness, gentleness..
(2) We reap a life of harvesting good here, but especially knowing a harvest of heaven.
(3) Mk. 10:29-30 – “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for My sake, and the gospel’s sake, who shall not receive a hundred-fold...
(4) WE are promised, if we give to God, He gives back (Lk. 6:38).
(5) We reap what we sow; God promises that we will reap MORE than we sow.
III. You Reap After You Sow (Gal. 6:9-10).
1. No farmer sows seed today and expects a harvest tomorrow (James 5:7).
(1) The farmer must be patient.
(2) The farmer must tend to daily duties and disappointments.
2. We forget. Fail in patience. Want it and want it now.
3. BUT, now is not the time (1 Cor. 15:58; 2 Tim. 4:6-8).
IV. Weeds Are An Easier Crop To Produce, BUT Wheat Is The Better Harvest.
1. In other words, faithful living requires effort, sin is often the path of least resistance. Jesus said it this way (Mt. 7:13-14).
2. It is a tendency of most, to forget that a day is coming when we will be recompensed for our deeds (2 Cor. 5:10).
3. We must bear good fruit.
CONCLUSION:
1. Every sin sown demands recompense. God, being just cannot let sin go unpunished.
2. The only answer to solving the sin problem = the blood of Christ.
3. Bible teaches:
(1) Reap what you sow.
(2) Reap more than you sow
(3) Reap after you sow. The ultimate day is approaching.
(4) Take care, weeds is an easier crop to grow.