‘ Breaking Up The Fallow Ground ‘
Hosea 10:12
’Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you’
Introduction: Notice that Hosea 10:12 begins with the act of sowing.
Sowing, as we well know, is to plant or put into the soil.
It can be said this way - that sowing is to do something that will eventually bring particular result.
The scripture read to us tonight says we are to sow to ourselves in righteousness.
The New International version says ‘ Sow FOR yourself…’
In other words, no one can do it for you !
Pastor can’t do it
Spouse cannot do it
Parents can train and instruct, but they can not do it for their children.
We must sow for ourselves righteousness.
You have to sow righteousness for yourself!
You have to determine FOR YOURSELF that you will be right with God!
To Stand Upright before God!
Upright is more than a position or stature – it describes your character as being honorable and honest !
Scripture tells us very plainly that OUR righteousness is as filthy rags in the sight of God!
To sow to your self in righteousness takes a desire to allow God’s word and Spirit to produce in us His righteousness!
Men may be honorable and honest without God’s word and Spirit, but it is self-righteousness and it is not enough!
When men rely only on self to produce righteousness they
Do what they think and feel is right within themselves!
Proverbs 21:2 ‘Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the
LORD pondereth the hearts.’
That is a very dangerous verse of scripture, because it causes us to justify who we are and what we are by how we look on what is right!
We are in a generation that is saying ‘evil is good’ because they are looking on evil and saying that it is right and acceptable in their eyes!!
BUT
True righteousness is not based on how we look at it!
It is based on how God sees it!
That is why we must look to the word of God and if we plant in our hearts and lives Gods word we will in time produce a life of godly righteousness!
The word of God is the seed of righteousness.
2 Corinthians 9:10 (King James Version)
‘Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)’
When we desire to live by the word of God we allow God to multiply and increase His righteousness in us!
II – Notice Hosea said that we would REAP IN MERCY!
Because we are spirit filled – we should no longer sow to our flesh!
Paul addressed this when he said to the Galatians in:
Galatians 6:7-8 (King James Version)
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Paul was not writing to unsaved people, he was writing to the church and was addressing the issue of spirit filled people sowing to their flesh!
He said basically that they are mocking God!
Spirit filled people who fulfill their fleshly desires mock the mercy and grace of God!
BUT he went on to say:
God is NOT mocked – that what a man sows he will also reap!
To the flesh – Corruption or – decay, ruin and destruction
To the spirit – Life Everlasting
As Spirit filled people we are to sow – plant – cultivate the righteousness of God – through His word and by His spirit!
We do not live by the culture of this or any generation, but by the eternal world of God – that changes not !
Hosea 10:12 tells us to: ‘ …break up the fallow ground…”
Fallow ground is – ground that has been left unplowed and become hard.
That is why we are told to BREAK UP The fallow ground.
The ground is nothing more than your HEART!
Jesus referred to four (4) types of soil in the gospels, but he was not talking about natural soil. He was referring to the hearts of men.
The seed is the word of God – it must get in the heart in order to produce real righteousness.
Notice again the wording of the prophet when he said ‘Sow to yourself’ –or- you must do it for yourself – you must desire the righteousness of God!
It also means to take heed for yourself – Look at your heart
If so you will not allow your heart to become hardened against the word and spirit of God!
You will break up the ground that has been left unattended !
Unattended means simply something not dealt with !
Understand that we can not allow things in our heart that we fail to DEAL with!
Because the result is we will become hardened and the seed of righteousness will not be able to produce in us!
Issues in our lives will not simply go away – they become an hardening agent and cause us to justify our feelings and actions! We feel that we are right in holding resentment for wrong done against us!
The problem is we harden our hearts when we fail to deal with issues of resentment and unforgiveness.
III - Fallow ground is UNUSED GROUND
( Unused – Haven’t done anything with it in a long period of time)
Saints who are not involved in the work of God often in time become hard and callused when it come to the harvest.
In other words – God wants to use us to REPRODUCE and bring forth a harvest. But he can not if the our life is not ready and cultivated for use
We breakup the fallow ground when we pray for sensitivity to the needs of others in our world of influence.
Simply our lives should be bringing forth a harvest of souls!
Unused home bible study charts is evidence of fallow ground!
Lack of interest in soulwinning and witnessing is evidence of fallow ground
Too busy with secular activities to get involved in the work of God is evidence of fallow ground!
IV- When the fallow ground is broken – you are able to easily receive the word of God!
When it is difficult to receive the word of God –it is often because of the hardening of the heart!
Prayer softens our heart to enable us to receive the word.
We call for prayer before services to allow our hearts and minds to become sensitive to the moving of the Spirit and allow our hearts to be softened to the receive the word of God.
Hosea said that ‘breaking up the fallow ground ‘ will proceed the rains of refreshing that come from the Lord!
In other words
Revival comes after we break up the fallow ground!
We are foolish to think that REAL revival will come with
Hardened attitudes,
Feelings of unforgiveness, or a
Lack of interest in the work of God
Revival always come after the breaking of the fallow ground!
If you will humble yourself and pray – Breaking of fallow ground
God will heal your land – Revival will come !!!
Before the flood of Noah’s day!
There had never been rain from above!
Scripture says ‘Before the heavens opened up the fountains of the deep were brokened’
Before heaven ever opens up for a person or church assembly - The fountains of the deep ( our heart ) must first be opened up!
The only prayer God can not answer is the one not prayed!
Too often we want revival to be poured out without OPENING our heart and soul before God.
Closing
Notice – Hosea said before the RAINS fall upon us that we MUST realize that it is TIME TO SEEK THE LORD!
To both realize and do it - To seek the Lord with a broken and contrite heart will break up the fallow ground and doing so will open our hearts to receive the revival that God has for us!
