Pastor Allan Kircher SPBC
Galatians 6: 7-8
Reaping What We Sow
Galatians 6:7-8: "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 will reap eternal life.”
This principle/apostle Paul shares with us in Gal. 6 has been around for a long time.
• In fact, Paul was not the first to say it.
• Jesus taught that principle in His parables.
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Remember the parable of the weeds? Matt 13:24-30
• Explain parable….Farmer/good seed
• Slept/Enemy
• Servant/discovered/weeds
Conclusion,
• "If wheat & weeds are growing side by side
• Two kinds of seed have been planted."
• Wheat seed doesn’t produce weeds
• & weeds don’t produce wheat.
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Back /O.T., in Hosea 8:7, the prophet Hosea said, "If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind."
further back, in Exodus 21:24 Moses says, "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, wound for wound." Moses is talking about sowing & reaping.
And we can even go back to Genesis 1:11 where God forms the earth & says,
"Let the ground bring forth grass, & the herb yielding seed, & every fruit bearing tree bring forth fruit after its own kind. And it was so."
• The principle of sowing & reaping is as old as life itself.
• What you sow is what you reap.
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Eternal principle/preceded by very disturbing words
"Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked."
• Why did Paul add those words?
• Is it possible for us to be deceived?
• Maybe we think we have pulled the wool over God’s eyes, that God doesn’t see what we are doing,
• Or know what is going on inside our hearts & minds.
Hey, don’t deceive yourselves. You are not deceiving God.
God knows what kind of seed you are sowing, & whatever kind of seed you sow, that is the kind of seed you will reap when the harvest day comes."
If we are high-minded and conceited, (Arrogant,Loving)
we will get just what we give.
• This is God's rule.
• This is a principle which God has set down.
• What a man sows, that is what he reaps.
• That's quite a sobering thought, a very important principle, something that we ought to take note of as we live our lives.
• This is a role which we can’t set aside.
• This is not something that can be pushed aside.
• We can’t just forget it’s not there.
• This rule abides as surely as the God of heaven abides.
• Therefore we better be careful what we do.
• We better be careful what we sow because what we sow, we will reap.
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I. The Deception and Mocking
The apostle begins/warning: "Be not deceived."
• word "deceived" means "to be led astray,"
• To be led astray either by yourself or by someone else.
The world/filled/people who have been deceived
• People who think that the lie is/truth and the truth is/lie.
That is why so few people care anything about the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
• They been deceived into thinking that the Gospel is the lie.
• They follow the Devil instead of the truth
• The devil has deceived them into thinking that his word, rather than God's Word is the truth.
• We read/Devil/deception in Rev Chap 12:9: "The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
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• It began way back/beginning/history with our mother, Eve.
• He first tricked Eve in the garden.
He deceived her to think his word/truth rather/God’s word.
• He’s been doing that ever since!
• And will continue till the end of the age.
• Folks, he doesn’t work alone!
• He has raised many false prophets/teachers who follow him.
• Who lead people/Christians astray.
Jesus speaks/Matthew Chapter 24; 4-5: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming. ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”
• We see that all about us right now.
• Many people, hundreds/thousands/millions of people
• have been deceived into following false Christ’s
• Rather than the true Christ.
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This is why there is so much sin/wickedness in the world today.
• There/relationship between truth/holiness—lie/sin.
• Truth leads to Godly living.
• The lie leads to wicked living.
If a man doesn’t have truth, he can do nothing but sin.
If a man/live/Godly life he must know and love the truth.
That’s why it’s so important for us/knowledge of the truth.
• You cannot even think of being Godly, of doing good
• of living a pious life
• If you don’t know the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• The whole of our Christian life rests upon the truth.
No wonder the apostle gives us this warning, "Be not deceived."
If we are deceived with respect to the truth, it will be a very destructive thing in our lives.
• Watch yourselves
• careful that you are not deceived/yourself/own humanistic thinking,
• not deceived/false teachers out there in the world.
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The apostle, however, is not talking/deception in general here.
• He is talking about a very specific deception.
• Notice the rest of verse 7: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: A man reaps what he sows.
• The greatest joy/Devil/is to deceive you into thinking you can sow and not reap what you sow
The Devil would like us to think…
• We can do certain things and not reap the consequences of those things that we do.
• that we can do evil, that we can sin, that we can live a wicked life
• and still reap good instead of evil.
We can break God's commandments and still be blessed by Him.
• We can live like the Devil, do all kinds of wickedness
• And when we die we still go to heaven and receive all the joys that God has given.
• That is the deception which the apostle talks about here.
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The Judaizers were examples of such deceived people.
• They thought all they had to do was follow some outward rituals, some observances, and then they would be Christians.
It didn’t matter/there was nothing in their hearts.
• It didn’t matter they trusted in themselves
• In their own works, instead of Christ.
• It didn’t matter that they were wicked.
They were Christians and they were going to heaven.
• They were truly deceived.
• They thought that they could sow and not reap what they sowed.
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• And that is the case with so many who profess to be Christians today.
• They commit all kinds of sins.
• They lie. They cheat. They steal. They commit adultery.
• They gossip like it’s the air they breath.
• They cause strife and dissention in people’s hearts.
• Just because people say Jesus into their heart, they think that they are under the blessing of Almighty God.
• They have the best of both worlds. They sin, but they reap the blessings of being a Christian.
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Sometimes that’s the way that we think.
• We can even deceive ourselves, at least for a time.
• Sometimes we are deceived by others into thinking that we can sin and get away with it.
• We can do certain evils and God will not discipline us.
• Young people, don't you think that sometimes?
You think that you can do this sin or that sin and no one is going to know about it.
• You can fool your parents. You can fool your pastor.
• You can fool all kinds of people.
• What you are really saying is that you can sow and not reap what you sow.
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This is a terrible wickedness.
When we are deceived in this principle we mock God.
• We turn up our noses at God.
• We actually sneer at God over this principle.
• We don’t think God sees, or we just want to believe….
• We ridicule the idea that anything will happen to us because of our wickedness.
• We know we shouldn’t do it, but we do it anyway.
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To even think that we can sow and not reap what we sow, is to mock God in our hearts.
• Why is that true?
• Because this rule is God's rule.
• This is God's principle.
• God has even written this rule in creation, itself.
Never does a farmer sow wheat and get anything else but wheat.
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Even the wicked who never read/Bible/listen to a sermon, know that this is God's rule of creation round about them.
• To think that you can frustrate this rule
• to think that you can sow and not reap what you sow
• Is to mock God.
• But God will not be mocked.
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Man can think what he wants to think.
• Man can deceive himself if he wants to be deceived.
• Man can be as wicked as he wants.
• But all of that will not change God's rule.
• What a person sows, he will surely reap.
• That rule of God is always operative.
• It is operative in the natural realm/spiritual realm.
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It is a law/God/put /very fabric of the universe.
Can you change the rule…We must eat/drink to survive?
Or the sun rises/east—sets/west?
No, nor can you change rule of sowing and reaping.
When a man plants an orchard of apple trees he doesn’t harvest oranges or peaches or pears.
• I've never heard of that. Never!
And so it is in the spiritual realm.
Whatever we sow, no matter what that might be, that is what we reap.
• Nothing more, nothing less.
• Your spiritual harvest is exactly equal to your spiritual sowing.
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That is the clear teaching of the Word of God. Rom. 2:6: "God “will give to each person according to what he has done.
Proverbs 1:31: "They will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes."
Job 4:8: "Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same."
Don't be deceived. Don't be led astray. This is God's rule and God's rule stands always.
II. The flesh and destruction
What does it mean to "sow to please his sinful nature"?
• refers to our old, sinful nature, the old man
• all that we are in Adam
• all that we are apart from the grace of God
• Apart from regeneration.
The wicked nature/passed down/father to son, going all the way back to our first father, Adam.
The flesh is that sinful nature which produces the works of the flesh: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, reveling.
To sow to the flesh/same thing as doing the works of the flesh.
• Same thing as walking in the flesh
• living according to the flesh
• Fulfilling the lusts of the flesh.
He does the sin/sinful nature encourages him to do.
• He lives the wicked life. Committing these of the flesh.
• But that is not all.
• For a person might sow to the flesh without committing any of these outward sins.
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One sows to the flesh/he is entirely occupied/things of this world, with earthly things, with materialistic things.
• A man may be very honest/honorable/religious
• but if he doesn't look to heavenly things
• If he does not seek Christ, the Gospel, and the truth, then he, too, sows to the flesh.
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What will such a person reap who sows to the flesh?
Notice the text: "...from that nature, will reap destruction! Destruction!
The idea is that if you plant a field of flesh, sinful deeds, you will harvest destruction.
• That's what you will get at the time of harvest.
• The word “destruction" means literally to perish.
• Associated with the idea of death, the punishment of sin.
God told Adam/he ate of the forbidden tree/surely die/he did die.
• He died spiritually. He died physically.
• If it had not been for regeneration he would have died eternally.
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Romans 8:13, is very similar to our text but instead of the word "destruction" the word "death":
"For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live."
The idea/person lives after the flesh and commits all kinds of sin
• He will reap all the corruption that belongs to death.
• He will reap the misery of sin
• The misery of separation from God.
• He will reap physical death
The man who sows a field/flesh will find that his labors end/ruin.
• A carnal life, whether spent in the greatest pollutions
• or strictest observance of religion, must always end in destruction.
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Let me give you some examples to make this principle plain:
• What do you think becomes of the drunkard?
• Do you think that he can get away with his excess drinking?
• Can he sow and not reap what he sows?
• Absolutely not!
The drunkard reaps misery, misery in this life.
• He reaps corruption.
• He reaps the destruction of his body.
• Little by little his body perishes until finally he dies.
• Alcohol kills him.
But he also reaps corruption while he lives.
• His drunkenness destroys his marriage.
• It destroys his job, friendships.
• It destroys his whole life.
• Finally, his life is nothing more than drinking and drunkenness and that is all.
Don't be deceived! God is not mocked. If you sow drunkenness, you will ruin your life. You will reap destruction.
Proverbs 23:29-32: "Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.”
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• How about the adulterer or the fornicator?
• What happens to them?
• Can they get away with their sexual sins?
• Can they sow and not reap what they sow?
• Absolutely not!
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If you are unfaithful/husband/wife or if you indulge in sex before marriage, you will reap misery!
• Nothing but misery, destruction, and ruin.
• You may think that you're just having fun.
• You may think I'm just sowing a few wild oats
• But those wild oats you will also have to harvest.
You may think that you can get away with it.
• You may think no one knows.
• But in the end you will lose everything.
• You will lose your husband or your wife.
• Maybe not physically either, but mentally….
• You will lose your respect.
Proverbs 6:32-33: "But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself. Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away:
• Young people, do you hear that?
• Don't be a sower of adultery or fornication.
• It will bring you to ruin.
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Same thing is true of those things closely related to adultery and fornication.
• If you go around partying all the time,
• if you carouse around,
• if you indulge in sex by watching it on TV,
• or if you go to a movie to see it,
• or if you look at magazines to see it,
• You will reap what you sow one day.
That will come back to haunt you. That's God's law.
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How about a person who always loses his temper, gets angry, and blows his top? What happens to him?
• Do you think that he can do that and get away with it?
• Can he sow and not reap what he sows?
• Absolutely not!
• His anger will bring fighting.
• It will bring contention.
• It will stir up wrath and anger in others.
• He will make his life unbearable.
A father/always angry/children and husband/angry/wife will reap what he sows.
• He will drive his wife away from him.
And the same thing is true of a woman who is always angry with her husband.
• She will drive her husband away from her.
And your children –
• they will either grow up hating you because of your anger
• or they will be just like you,
• Filled with all the wrath and anger that you exhibit.
If you are a man who always blows his top and gets angry, you'll have no friends. If you do, their just like you…..
Proverbs 29:22: "An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins
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How about the person who is just going through the motions of religion?
• What happens to him?
• Can he get away with his sin?
• Can he sow and not reap what he sows?
• Absolutely not!
• You might fool some people.
You might have some people think you are a spiritual giant by your external actions
• you won't fool your wife or husband.
• You won't fool your children.
• They will see that there is nothing in your heart.
• They will see that you are a hypocrite.
They won’t believe what you tell them to believe, nor will they practice what you tell them to do.
• They will be just like you.
• They will be great pretenders
• pretending to be Christians,
• Pretending to be spiritual,
• Pretending to have that comfort of belonging to Jesus Christ but inside they will be miserable.
Inside they will have no peace, no joy, but only misery and ruin.
And you will be spiritually dead.
That is God's principle. What you sow is what you reap.
III. The Spirit and life everlasting
Finally, let us notice the last statement/text: "...the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."
Opposite kind/sowing---opposite kind/reaping.
If you do not want to reap destruction, then listen to this.
• The Spirit here is Holy Spirit
• The Spirit we receive/time/we are regenerated.
He is the Spirit who gives to us that new nature
• who produces, out/new nature, the fruit/Spirit,
• good works,
• such things as love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, and many others
To sow to the Spirit means that we walk in the Spirit.
• Gal 5:16-17; Gal 5:25
• We live according to the Spirit.
• We do those things/fruit of the Spirit.
• This is our calling as Christians.
We have the very Spirit of God Himself living in our hearts.
And what will happen to us if we sow to the Spirit? Notice: "..from the Spirit we will reap everlasting life."
• When we sow a field of Spirit works SERVICE
• Spirit fruit, ACTIONS
• Then when harvest time comes we will reap eternal life.
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Matthew chapter 19:29: "And every one who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or fields, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much, and will inherit everlasting life."
Life everlasting -- the very opposite of destruction and death.
• Life everlasting is God's life.
• It is not merely physical life. not the life of this world.
• It is eternal life, the life of Jesus Christ.
If we sow/Spirit/by grace /God, when we die we/reap everlasting life.
• And there we will be with Christ.
• There we will be with God.
• There we/have blessed fellowship/communion/our Savior.
And when the world comes to an end, we will enter into the glory of the eternal kingdom of God in the new heavens and the new earth.
Then all the blessing of that kingdom will be ours.
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We will enjoy all/good things/God has/His people
• things which we have never imagined
• things which our eyes have not seen
• Things which we have never heard with our ears.
• And that will be our place forever.
• Everlasting life is life that goes on forever/ever/evermore.
• It starts right here, right now folks.
• Not tomorrow, not after lunch, right now
That's the blessing that we harvest when we sow to the Spirit.
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But not only eternal life in heaven, also eternal life right now in this life.
• Rather than fear, rather than misery, rather than turmoil;
• Peace and joy, happiness, comfort, feeling good inside.
• And in our relationships/each other, peace and harmony.
1. When a husband sows to the Spirit
• He’ll have a wife who loves him, submits to him.
• who is good to him.
It is true in our homes, too, isn’t it?
2. If we’re sowing seeds/dishonesty/greed/heart/lives of our children
• They aren’t sowing the seeds, but they will reap the harvest.
3. If we’re sowing seeds of loving kindness, joy/peace/hearts of our children
• They will reap that harvest even though they didn’t sow the seeds.
When you sow to the Spirit/brothers/sisters/Lord will feel good about being around you.
• help you and share with you
• They’ll see the peace and comfort in your heart.
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Psalm one.
You will reap what you have sown.
• That's quite a principle, isn't it.
• It has very serious consequences.
• We better take this seriously
• Whether we are young or old.
• We better reckon with God's rule.
• Whatsoever a man sows, that he shall also reap.
One day we all will wake up in a new world. The Bible says that some will wake up in hell where there is weeping & wailing & gnashing of teeth, & they’ll cry, "We didn’t do anything to deserve this. We weren’t that bad."
Some will wake up in heaven, on the streets of gold, standing before the throne of God, surrounded by angels praising God day & night. And they, too, will say, "We didn’t do anything to deserve all this."
You see, whether it is for good or for bad, not only will we reap what we sowed, but we will always reap much more than we sowed.
Gracious God, our Father, we thank you for this principle of your Word. We pray that we might not be deceived, but that your Spirit would keep us in the truth. Help us not to sow to the flesh and try to get away with it. Give us grace to sow to the Spirit and so reap life everlasting.
For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
