Even though the Bible clearly teaches THAT WE REAP WHAT WE SOW, it seems that many have a difficult time…
• Understanding this…
• Believing this…
For example, the world in which we live is full of people who believe they can live in sin and there are absolutely no consequences.
Why do they think that way?
The problem for many could stem from their childhood.
Let me illustrate in two ways…
(1) About the first of December their parents would tell them, “If you do not behave, when Santa Claus comes, you are not going to receive anything!”
The child continues in their rebellious and disobedient ways and when Christmas morning comes, the child cannot get near the tree because of all the toys around the Christmas tree with their name on them.
When a child is raised this way, they do not understand there are consequences for their decisions and actions.
Also…
(2) The problem could also stem from parents who tell their child, “If you do that one more time, I am going to spank you.”
The child does it a hundred more times and never does get a spanking and never learns the lesson that there are consequences to our decisions and actions.
Such parents send their children the wrong message, that is they can SOW evil, but they will not REAP the consequences of doing evil.
Evidently some do not know how the principle of “Sowing and Reaping” works.
For example, when we sow, we reap more than we sow!!!
Illus: A mother tells this story: When my daughter Deborah was four years old, she helped me plant the garden as I explained to her about sowing and reaping. "From two or three beans that we put in the soil, we'll probably reap dozens of beans," I told her.
• A few weeks later my mother sent Deborah a pair of hand-knit mittens. It was too warm for mittens that day, but Deborah insisted that she wear them.
• Later in the afternoon when she came inside, I noticed that she was not wearing her mittens. "Deborah, where are the mittens Grandma sent you?" I asked.
• "I planted them," came the excited reply, "and when they come up, I'll have lots of mittens!" (Lorna M. Anderson, Farwell, MN. Christian Reader, "Lite Fare.")
Some people seem totally ignorant of how the principle of “Sowing and Reaping” works.
It is a law of almighty God, and it works EVERY TIME for EVERYONE!
God has designed certain natural laws to reveal things about Himself and His creation.
The natural laws I am speaking about are as:
(1) THE LAW OF GRAVITY
You can debate the law of gravity all you want too...
Illus: But I can assure you that if you jump off a ten-story building, you will quickly learn that WHAT GOES UP ALWAYS COMES DOWN!
Not sometimes for some people, it works that way every time for everyone.
God also made…
(2) THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS
The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics may be something you do not know anything about, but you are feeling its effects even as you sit here this morning.
• This law affects every age group
• This law affects every ethnic group
• This law affects every social group
• This law affects the educated and uneducated
This law not only affects humans it affects all of creation
WHAT IS THE 2ND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS?
The 2nd law of thermodynamics is a law of decay.
That is, nothing stays as fresh as it was the day that it came into existence.
For example…
Illus: An attractive young girl can walk down the street, and men will run over stop signs and trash cans looking at her.
But let a few years rub off on her and the only thing that will pay any attention to her as she walks down the street are the dogs in the neighborhood.
The 2nd law of Thermodynamics nothing stays as fresh as it was the day that it came into existence.
Illus: You can ride through a new neighborhood that is filled with beautiful homes.
If you return to that neighborhood 50 to 75 years later, you will find those new houses have deteriorated so much they no longer look like the same houses.
The 2nd law of Thermodynamics nothing stays as fresh as it was the day that it came into existence.
Illus: You can go on a new car lot and all the shiny new cars are gorgeous.
But in ten years, many of them will be in the junkyard and the others will be so deteriorated you would never know they were the same cars.
Illus: (Humor) I have seen some folks that the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics do not seem to work on though.
That is, there are some folks who are so ugly they can’t get any uglier. Do you know anyone like this…please do not look around.
Along with His design, God has also written natural laws into His creation.
God has designed the law of “Sowing and Reaping,” and it works every time for everyone.
Through the centuries of time, mankind has been trying to find some way to circumvent this law of “Sowing and reaping”.
Illus: For example, it used to be that if you ate junk food you put on the pounds.
It is a common law; you eat it and you wear it!
Now we found a way to get around this:
• We have Olestra, a fat substitute, so we can eat greasy potato chips and ice cream to our heart’s content without raising our cholesterol.
• We’ve developed a multitude of artificial sweeteners – cyclamates, saccharin, and aspartame – so we can drink all the sodas we want without rotting our teeth and expanding our waistline.
• And if you do happen to eat something with actual fat or calories, you don’t need to go to the gym to lose weight anymore.
You just make an appointment with your friendly local liposuction Dr., and for a couple thousand dollars, he’ll suck that fat right off your body.
Another way we have tried to circumvent the law of SOWING AND REAPING….
Illus: Ever hear of something called “jogging in a jug”?
“Jogging in a Jug” is a concoction of:
• 2 parts grape juice
• 2 parts apple juice
• 1 part apple cider vinegar
And it will knock your socks off if you take a big swallow of this stuff.
Two ounces a day of this stuff and your insides will be squeaky clean.
I don’t know if it works. But wouldn’t it be great if it did?
• Wouldn’t it be great if you could gain all the benefits of jogging without actually having to exercise!
• Wouldn’t it be great if you could strap on your Nikes and sit at the table and drink “Jogging in a Jug,” and as soon as you drink your two ounces and you could say, “Please pass the JELLY FILLED DONUTS”?
We are constantly trying to CIRCUMVENT the law of sowing and reaping.
However, you may be able to reverse the consequences of overeating…BUT THERE’S AT LEAST ONE AREA OF LIFE WHERE THE LAW OF SOWING AND REAPING ALWAYS APPLIES, and that’s in our spiritual life.
We cannot circumvent that law.
God’s Word says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
Let me show you some things from this verse we need to look at -
I. THE CRAZINESS
Listen a person may have more degrees than a thermometer, but they are not a smart person if they mock God.
Let me illustrate…
Illus: Ernest Hemingway was a great writer, but he was famous for snubbing his nose at morality and mocking God.
• He said his own life proved a person could do anything they wanted without paying the consequences of their decisions and consequences.
He also said…
• He considered the ideas of the Bible to be antiquated and outdated.
• They were useless to modern man.
• They were a hindrance to pleasure and self-fulfillment.
• Moral laws were a religious superstition that had no relevance.
However, the end of his life proved the foolishness of mocking God.
His life of debauchery led him into such complete despair and hopelessness that he took a gun and put a bullet in his head.
THE MOST FOOLISH THING A MAN CAN DO IS MOCK ALMIGHT GOD!!!
It is not one of the foolish things a man can do! It is the MOST FOOLISH THING A MAN CAN DO!
And listen if you do not believe this today, you will believe it when you stand before your Creator who tells you GOD IS NOT MOCKED!!!
Have you ever had anyone mock you?
Listen, it is something that gets us upset.
And this mocking business is something that gets God upset.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger and his lovely wife was vacationing in Florida, and as he and his wife were driving down a long stretch road, they kept seeing road signs advertising a zoo.
They needed a break from driving and decided they would stop at this zoo.
The zoo had a tour guide to take groups of 15 to 20 people. We were at the back of the group as the tour guide explained some of the fascinating things about these creatures.
The tour guide worked his way around the zoo telling some of the things about the different creature.
He brought the group to see this large ugly gorilla in a very large secure cage.
He told the group that this gorilla did not like anyone to “mock” or stare at him.
I guess anything that ugly would not want to be STARED AT.
But Dr. Belger, on not one of his most spiritual days, decided he was going to put this gorilla to the test:
• He made eye contact with the gorilla and the gorilla made eye contact with him.
• The Gorilla would tilt his head, and he would tilt his head making constant eye contact.
• The Gorilla would scratch himself and he would scratch himself making constant eye contact.
• The Gorilla turned his lips out and he turned his lips out making constant eye contact.
• The Gorilla would wipe his face, and he would wipe his face making constant eye contact.
This gorilla was getting upset, and as they walked away in the back of the group, he kept staring at him and mocking him.
By this time this this big ugly gorilla was shaking the steel bars wanting to get out of that cage to hurt him for mocking him.
When Dr. Belger and his wife left the exit gate he could still hear him in the parking lot as they were leaving.
None of us like to be mocked, and the Bible teaches that God is not going to put up with it either.
Look at Gal. 6:7, we read, “Be not deceived; GOD IS NOT MOCKED: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
There are people today who are mocking God, and they think they are getting away with it.
WHO ARE THESE FOOLISH PEOPLE WHO MOCK GOD DAILY?
They do not walk outside and look toward the sky and mock God, but they mock Him in other ways, such as:
• They want God the Creator to know He might have CREATED them, but they are going to live their life as they please and He has no say whatsoever!!!
• They mock Him by having the attitude that as their Creator He is not worthy of their time or money. They have better things to do with their time and money.
• They mock Him every Sunday they have better things to do than to worship Him in a church service. They have other gods more important to them.
• They mock Him by living each day without consulting Him about anything because they think they are smarter than He is.
• They mock Him by taking His tithes and spending it on themselves whether He likes it or not.
God’s Word states that according to God’s law of “Sowing and Reaping,” they will reap what they have sowed.
It may be in this life or in the life to come.
The Word of God says, in 1 Timothy 5:24-25, “Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.”
Let me give you an example of reaping after we die.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger had a family that lived near his church, and he tried desperately to get them to come. She was willing, and he was always cordial but would not make any promises to attend.
Everyone who knew them thought of them as NICE DESCENT PEOPLE in the community.
He had two children, and they adored him and held him in high esteem.
One day his wife called Dr. Belger with some alarming news. Her husband had died suddenly of a heart attack. He preached the man’s funeral.
Many neighbors and friend filled the building in love and respect for this well thought of man.
After several weeks of emotional upheaval, she decided it was time to go through his things and dispose of them as she saw fit.
With tears in her eyes she went to his car, unlocked it, opened the glove compartment and began to go through his things.
After she did that, she opened the trunk of his car and when she opened it she almost fainted.
It was filled with all kinds of pornographic magazines and sexual devices.
She was so disturbed that some of the people in the community could hear her crying, and they came out to see what she saw, and they were equally disturbed.
Soon this man’s neighbors and his two married children had heard about their dad living such an evil life. AND THEY WERE DEVASTATED.
He was reaping what he sowed AFTER LIFE ON EARTH.
His good reputation as a husband, dad, and a neighbor was destroyed.
Illus: A lot or parents are going to reap after death.
They will not bring their children to church to be taught the Word God.
You see when parents will not bring their children to church, they are not only making a decision for themselves, THEY ARE MAKING A DECISION FOR THEIR CHILDREN ALSO.
And one day when their children are grown who lived a sinful life and they stand before God on the judgment day after not being taught the Word of God because of their parents they will be cast into hell.
These parents are going to reap what they sowed later.
Listen, we can sow seeds of sin, but God has vowed we will REAP WHAT WE SOW in THIS LIFE OR THE LIFE TO COME!
Illus: Consider Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina who had an affair for years and it was only revealed after his death.
Illus: Look at the disgrace of the Catholic Church. For years homosexuals and child molesters had been operating as Catholic priests.
They have mocked God for years with this lifestyle but look how we hear of their sin on the national news.
They did their evil deeds in darkness, but God exposed them publicly.
God says only a deceived person can mock God by living a rebellious life and think they can get away with it.
But in a congregation of this size most likely there are teenagers and adults living a deceived life everyday mocking the God that created them and the Savior who died for them.
• Our sins can’t be hidden by distance
Illus: Las Vegas advertises you can go there and commit all kinds of sin, and it will remain there in Las Vegas.
Don’t you believe that lie, un-confessed sin goes straight to God’s judgment book, and you will be judged for the sins you committed there are any other place.
You would be surprised of the people who think they can go places out of town and sin and think they are getting away with it.
Illus: Every Summer in Myrtle Beach in South Carolina they have biker’s week. And bike riders from all over the nation fill the city with these bikers, men and women.
• Some of these bikers are doctors and lawyers with their wives riding their bike with their spouse.
• Some of the women lawyers and doctors' wives are practically naked on these bikes.
• One Doctor’s wife was asked; do you dress that way at home?
• She said, “No way! But here nobody knows me so I can do it and get away with it!”
• Our sins cannot be hidden by distance or darkness
In Heb. 4:13, we read, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”
Everything we sow eventually bears fruit. It’s the law of sowing and reaping.
Illus: The Palestinians will strap a bomb on some uneducated Arab and he will board a bus and blow up himself and 20 or 30 Israelis.
• The next day Israel will retaliate and wipe out that many Palestinians or more.
• It is about time that crowd learned that if you sow DEATH you are going to reap DEATH!
It is about time we learned that we REAP WHAT WE SOW.
• Parents can’t sow seeds of rebellion to the law and expect their children not to sow seeds of rebellion at the school
• We can’t sow seeds of disbelief and expect good things to come from them.
• We can’t sow bad seeds in our marriage and expect good things to come from them.
• We can’t be rude and unkind to others and expect to reap friendship.
God’s Words says clearly…BE NOT DECEIVED!!!
Illus: Are you expecting a harvest of flowers, and fruits and vegetables? Then you had better learn something about sowing the right kind of seeds.
We looked at THE CRAZINESS of REAPING WHAT WE S0W but also look at-
II. THE CHOICE
What kind of seeds are you planting?
What kind of fruit are you expecting?
Here is something we need to consider.
• We do not have a choice as to whether the law of sowing and reaping is going to apply in our lives. According to the Word of God if you sow it, you will reap it.
• We do not have the option of harvesting good fruit without first planting good seeds. A man reaps what he sows.
The only choice we have is what kind of seeds we’re going to sow.
The sowing and the reaping law work in the negative, but it also works in the positive.
There are people today who sow good seeds, and their life is filled with the blessings of God.
We read in Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
The law of Sowing and Reaping applies in the negative and the positive.
Sometimes we hear Christians say, “I live my life sowing good seeds and nothing, but bad fruit is sprouting up in my life.”
Illus: Have you noticed that weeds grow up SWIFTLY but the good things we want to grow we have to be patient for them to grow.
This is God’s way of teaching us by nature when sow good seeds we have to patiently wait for them to sprout
But notice, it says in verse 9, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Illus: If we sowed good seeds and they sprout up the next day, everyone would be sowing good seeds.
But every farmer knows you sow, and you wait.
• There are folks who can come to church a few times, and they expect everything in their life to turn around for them in a few days.
• There are folks who tithe, and they expect the blessings of tithing will spring up tomorrow.
• There are some folks do a good deed, and they expect some great blessing immediately.
Paul lets us know that we have to keep sowing good seeds day after day and not get weary, because in due season we shall reap if we faint not.
The harvest comes when God says so! It may not come when:
• We want it to come
• We expect it to come
But if we keep sowing good seeds, God has promised it would come.
We read in Ecc. 11:1, “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.”
In some cases, the harvest just doesn’t come in our lifetime.
Our reward will be when the Lord tells us “Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” as we stand before the Lord at the GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT OF CHRIST.
And based on the word of God everyone who sow good seeds will be GLAD THEY DID!
God knows how to give GOOD GIFTS.
Illus: Some people know how to give good gifts.
Some of you know and for you who do not know I WILL SOON HAVE A BIRTHDAY!
Let me say this in love and kindness, if you plan to buy me something for my birthday (surely you do), please do not buy me any more neckties.
I have enough neckties to hang every man in my area code.
I do not want to sound like that false preacher Ken Copeland on television, but the only thing I agree with him…money makes a nice gift!!!
God knows how to give…
• GOOD GIFTS!
• ETERNAL GIFTS!
But the gifts God give us it maybe IN THIS LIFE OR THE NEXT.
Not only does the fruit sometimes appear at a time we don’t expect it.
• Sometimes it appears in a form we don’t
recognize as good fruit such as good health.
• Sometimes we are expecting strawberries, and we get potatoes.
• Sometimes the result of obedience is not an improvement in our circumstances, but a strengthening of our faith and a refining of our character.
God, in His wisdom, defines that as good fruit, even though we may be looking for something else.
We have looked at when it comes to REAPING AND SOWING…
• THE CRAZINESS
• THE CHOICE.
Now look at-
III. THE CONSEQUENCES
I have some good news and bad news.
• The good news is that God will forgive you of all you sin If you will come to Him for salvation.
• The bad news is that if you have sown bad seeds and if you refuse to come to Him for salvation you are going to reap what you have sowed.
Something we all need to get from this message from God’s Word is, WHATEVER YOU SOW YOU WILL REAP!
DO YOU REALLY WANT TO STAND BEFORE ALMIGHTY GOD AND REAP ALL THE BAD SEEDS YOU HAVE SOWED!
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands an angry God.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger tells the story when he was in high, and he got in trouble to go to office for a paddling. He went there and the principal was waiting for him.
His office had three offices.
• The front office was where his sectary worked.
• The second office behind her office was his where he did is his work and dealt with disciplinary problems.
• The last office was a conference room
When he went in the principal took him into his office.
The principal told him he was going to give him three licks. He reached for one of the biggest paddles he had ever seen.
Dr. Belger was a football player, and he lifted weights, and he told the principal he was not going to give him any licks with that paddle.
The principal told him in a calm voice let’s go back into this conference room and talk about it.
Dr. Belger thought they were going to the conference room, and he was going to give him a lecture about behaving.
But he allowed him to go into the room first and he quickly shut the door and pushed him over that conference table and held him there and he must have given him a dozen of licks.
When he got through with him his parents had a lawsuit for sure!!! But he was too ashamed to show his rear end to anyone after that principal taught him a lesson with the board of education.
When he got through, he told him you better not ever be sent to my office again for miss-behaving.
Dr. Belger said he put such fear in him he never was sent back to his office again.
He said he is still having flash back of that horrible day of child abuse.
DO YOU REALLY WANT TO STAND BEFORE ALMIGHTY GOD AND REAP ALL THE BAD SEEDS YOU HAVE SOWED!
• I can assure you those in hell today if they could return to earth and live their life here again, they would not sow the bad seeds they once sowed.
• These who have had all kinds of ridiculous excuses why they cannot attend church would be here every time the church doors are open.
• These who have robbed God of the tithes and offerings that belong to God almighty would not spend that money on themselves.
• These who have lie, curse and gossip would not ever live like that if they could come relive their life here on earth again.
Illus: When God reveals to you all the sins you have committed you might say, I CAN’T REMEMBER DOING THAT!
God will say, I REMEMER and I have it written in my book when you did it…
1) The date
2) The time
3) The place
Whatever a person sows, they will also reap.
Listen, I would not want to be in the shoes of some folks today when they stand before ALMIGHTY GOD AND GIVE ACCOUNT OF THEMSELVES!!!
Today you can come to this LOVING GOD THAT WILL FORGIVE YOU OF ALL YOUR SINS AND MAKE YOU ONE OF HIS CHILDREN AND YOU CAN REAP EVERLASTING LIFE WITH HIM IN HEAVEN
WILL YOU COME?
Conclusion:
The Law of SOWING AND REAPING applies to every teenager and adult in this building.
It is not a matter WILL WE REAP, IT IS A MATTER WHEN WE WILL REAP for G00D SEEDS AND BAD SEEDS.
We have looked at three things concerning WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.
I. THE CRAZINESS
II. THE CHOICE
III. THE CONSEQUENCES
Every decision and action we make have consequences.
