He That Reapeth

Years ago, in a small town in Texas, a German mer-chant and his entire family came forward at the close of a service to receive Christ as Savior and Lord. When the pastor asked him to tell his experience, this is what he said. "Yesterday I closed my store early and went for a ride with my family. We were crossing the railroad tracks when a train struck the back of our car. We went home and got out, all frightened. There was just one member of our family, little Mary, a member of your church who was not frightened. We talked about it and Mary said, 'Daddy, if we had been one second later in crossing that track, all the family would have been in Hell now but me.' As soon as Mary said that, I called the family to prayer and asked Mary to lead us to heaven."

It is a blessing after we have gone forth, and have wept and prayed, and sowed the seed of the gospel to see the reaping of souls.

We might not see the reaping of all the people we witness to but if we are faithful and faint not we will see fruit for our labor.

Of course, the real test to reaping a soul is how a person responds to Jesus. Let us consider some things that are involved in a person being reaped for Jesus.

I-REAPING A SOUL INVOLVES A RECKONING:

Acts 16:29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

1-Out in the American West, a cowboy was driving down a dirt road, his dog riding in the back of the pickup truck, his faithful horse in the trailer behind. He failed to negotiate a curve and had a terrible accident.

Some time later, a highway patrol officer came on the scene. An animal lover, he saw the horse first. Realizing the serious nature of its injuries, he drew his service revolver and put the animal out of its misery. He walked around the accident and found the dog, also hurt critically. He couldn’t bear to hear it whine in pain, so he ended the dog’s suffering as well.

Finally he located the cowboy – who had suffered multiple injuries – off in the weeds. "Are you okay?" the cop asked. The cowboy took one look at the smoking revolver in the trooper’s hand and quickly replied, "Never felt better!" 1

2-Well the Philippian jailer didn’t feel too good for he was under deep conviction.

3-Salvation always begins in a felt need. I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I can be, I am not by the grace of God what I shall be. Being lost and the consciousness of being lost brings us to the Savior.

4-The Philippian jailer is down on his knees. He is facing execution in disgrace and shame, so much so that he attempts to take his own life with his sharp Roman sword. In abject misery, he asks the question of deepest human need, "What must I do to be saved?"

When a man finds himself needing God, he is near the kingdom, I do not care who he is, what he has done, or his status in life. 2

5-W.A. Criswell tells the following story: I remember eating dinner in a country home in which the family had invited the hired hand, a most untutored, untaught, and ignorant boy. The young fellow sat right across the table from me. I began talking to him and asked him if he knew the Lord, if he was a Christian. He replied: "Sir, I ain't no Christian. I am a lost sinner." 1 replied to the young fellow: "Son, you are near the kingdom, In these days of revival, 1 predict that you will be wonderfully saved. He Was.

II-REAPING A SOUL INVOLVES A REASONING:

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

1-A lost person needs to realize no matter how deep the stain of their sins, God is able to take it out and make them as clean as freshly fallen snow or white as wool.

2-In England there's a paper factory that makes the finest stationery that's made. One day a man touring the factory asked what it was made from. He was shown a huge pile of old rags. The rag content is what determined the quality of the paper. The man wouldn't believe it. In 6 weeks he received a package of paper from the company with his initials embossed on it. On the 1st page were written the words: "Dirty Rags Transformed." The same is true of the Christian life. 3