Scripture: Gen. 8:22
Title: “Sowing and Reaping”
Introduction: A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was too crowded. “I can’t go to Sunday School,” she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday School class. The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.
Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings and the parents called for the kindhearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements. As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting, which read, “This is to help build the little church bigger so MORE children can go to Sunday school.” For two years she had saved for this offering of love. When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion. He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building. But the story does not end there!
A newspaper learned of the story and published it. A Realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands read it. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for a 57 –CENT payment. Church members made large contributions. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl’s gift had increased to $250,000.00 – a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century).
Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.
When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300, and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained. Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday scholars, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside at Sunday school time.
In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet faced little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russell H. Conwell, author of the book, “Aches of Diamonds.” ….a True Story!
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Matthew 17:20 “…If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
God delights in taking the little things that we give Him and turning them into GREAT THINGS!
After the FLOOD God set in place the PRINCIPLE of “SEEDTIME and HARVEST!”
Notice: Seedtime comes before Harvest! Any person DESIRING a HARVEST must FIRST plant seed. --- Without SOWING seed one HARVEST would stop EVERYTHING!
This is a SPIRITUAL as well as a NATURAL LAW.
God has a PLAN for His people to increase. God desires for His people to live in the “land of plenty.” (The Promise Land)
In God’s plan, you GIVE (sow seed) in order to RECEIVE. To the world, God’s plan for our INCREASE seems UPSIDE down.
I. THE SEED PROCESS.
a. Sowing seeds replenishes the SUPPLY. Never forget we are only one HARVEST away from having nothing to harvest!
b. Gen. 1:11 “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.”
c. God DESIGNED seed with LIFE inside them. A seed is designed to bring forth the same kind of fruit that it came from.
d. PROPER seed PLANTED in PROPER GROUND under PROPER CONDITIONS produces a PROSPEROUS HARVEST!
It takes FAITH to begin the PROCESS!
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II. THE DEFINING OF FAITH.
a. What is FAITH? (really) Heb. 11:1 “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.”
b. FAITH is to BELIEVE what we do not see. The REWARD of this faith is to see what we believe. ---Augustine
c. Faith in god sees the INVISIBLE, believes the INCREDIBLE, and receives the IMPOSSIBLE.
d. Faith RESTS in God, RECEIVES from God, RESPONDS to God, RELIES on God, REALIZES God, REJOICES in God, and REPRODUCES His character.
e. Faith does not OPERATE in the realm of the POSSIBLE. There is no glory for God in that which is HUMANLY POSSIBLE. Faith BEGINS where man’s power ENDS! ---George Muller
f. You do not TEST the resources of God until you TRY the IMPOSSIBLE!
g. Faith is not a LEAP in the DARK; it is a leap OUT of DARKNESS into the LIGHT!
h. ALL of God’s plans WORK by FAITH!
i. The principle of “Seedtime & Harvest” can only work by the PROCESS of FAITH.
j. “Faith came singing into my room, and other guests took flight; Fear and anxiety, grief and gloom sped out into the night. I wondered that such peace could be, But FAITH said gently, “Don’t you see? They really cannot live with me.”
III. THE DESIGN OF FAITH.
a. Faith is DESIGNED to work like a SEED. Just as seed are SOWN, so must something be sown in the FAITH REALM.
b. Let me refer you to the PARABLE of the SOWER: “And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side,…. Some fell upon stony places,…. And some fell among thorns;…. But other fell into good ground,…” (Mt. 13:3-8) (Page 3)
c. What was the SOWER sowing? (Page 4) Words – Matthew 13:19 “When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart.”
d. Words are POWERFUL! (Proverbs 18:21) “Death and life are in the power of the tongue:” (Proverbs 12:14 “A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth:”
e. Faith never rises above its CONFESSION! If you want to change your life, you have to change your CONFESSION. The miracle is in your mouth.
f. Seed have to be PLANTED! The seed of WORDS are planted in the MIND of man by hearing.
When The Church Stops Sowing The Seed Of The Word, God Will Have To Rapture The Church!
IV. THE DISCIPLINE OF FAITH.
a. What if this spring all the farmers said, “We’re not going to sow any more seed.”? What would happen? (There’s a 3 day supply of food in the grocery stores)
b. We don’t really have a CHOICE, if we are going to SURVIVE we must keep SOWING!
c. Christians must DECIDE as to what is the MOST IMPORTANT! Is having FAITH more IMPORTANT that watching television? Is having Faith to be HEALED more IMPORTANT that wasting time? Is reading the BIBLE more IMPORTANT to you that reading the Newspaper?
d. How IMPORTANT is MOVING that MOUNTAIN out of you life?
e. WHERE you are and WHAT you are at this moment has been brought about by the KIND of SEED you have SOWN!
CONCLUSION: Faith opens the door to God’s promise for you; and patience keeps it open until that promise is fulfilled.
Do not assume that your faith is always in top-notch shape! Rather, play it safe and assume that your faith ALWAYS needs a Fresh Anointing!
www.jhcarver@excite.com
