God’s Favorite House
Knowing God--- by giving?
The 7 laws of seedtime and harvest
Text: Galatians 6:7-9
Malachi 3:7-12
Genesis 1:11-12, 8:22
There are certain laws that were set in order from the beginning of time i.e.….
The law of gravity… We can’t live outside of it. It holds us to this earth
The law of life & Death… We can’t go beyond it.
And of course the law of Seedtime & Harvest
I want this to talk to you tonight about the laws of Seedtime and Harvest, The laws of Sowing and Reaping, and finally the laws of Giving and Getting.
From our scripture that we have read we find a very important key in the lives of men. In fact the very foundation of the world is based on the laws of Seedtime and Harvest.
The Bible declares that if we will give, that men will give pressed down shaken together and running over.
Luke 6:38 (KJV) Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Now remember I have always said that if the word applies to physical it also applies to the spiritual. So the laws of seedtime and harvest are the same in the spiritual as they are in the physical.
This law encompasses everything and is all inclusive.
The Bible declares Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
The key word here in this text that I want us to look at today is WHATSOEVER. That is the all-inclusive part.
What we are going to look in the next two messages are the 7 laws of sowing and reaping.
Now before we get started let me state this. THE BASIS OF THE LAW OF SEEDTIME AND HARVEST IS THIS. for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap
However, this can be broken down into some different categories.
1. We reap sometimes what others before us have sown.
· Reaping Good From Others
· PARENTS: Starting with our parents we have all received good to which we did not labor.
· FRIENDS: We have friends who have graced our lives with gifts both tangible and intangible, not because of what we have done, but because they are our friends.
· FREEDOM: We are recipients of the freedom in this land of America to which many of us did nothing to secure.
· Reaping Good From God
· SALVATION: Man is the recipient of God’s un-earnable favor.
· Reaping Bad From Others
· Adam: Starting with Adam and all the way down the human race Sin has been transferrd simply because Adam choose to sin.
2. We reap the same kind that we sow.
"If Turnip Seed Grow Turnips" by 8 year old Cody Gregory
If turnip seeds grow turnips,
And greens grow spinach greens;
If carrot seeds grow carrots
And bean seeds bring up beans;
If lettuce seeds grow lettuce,
And Brussel seeds grow sprouts;
If pea seeds always bring up peas –
Then what goes in comes out!
So kind words bring up kindness,
And bad words will grow sadness;
Forgiving words will grow forgiveness,
Glad words will grow gladness!
So watch the little seeds you plant,
In all you say and do;
For what you sow is what you reap!
Be proud of what you grew!
· Children – Bro. Stovall
· Every organism was created with the ability to reproduce after its own kind.
· There are variations of animals… There are many different kinds shapes and types
· Some variations:
o Cattle (different colors, spotted etc.)
o Horses (different colors, spotted etc.)
o Pigs (different colors, spotted etc.)
· Grass, Seed Plants & Trees … vs.11-12 (You can’t plant corn and expect rice)
· Sea Creatures … vs. 21a
· Birds … vs. 21b
· Land Creatures … vs.24-25
· But, each one reproduces after is own kind because it has to. Not because it chooses to. IT HAS TO
· The law of seedtime and harvest does not differentiate between species. If it is alive it must follow this law.
3. We reap in a different season than we have sown.
· Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:
· TAKES MONEY TO MAKE MONEY????
· Married life
· Home life
· Children’s life
· Dating life
· Work life
· Fun life
· Financial life
· Health life
· Church life
· Spiritual life
· Eternal life
4. We reap more than we sow.
· Matthew 13:31-32 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 "which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."
· 1 kernel of Corn planted will produce thousands of kernels of corn
· 1 bad seed planted will produce thousands of bad seeds to come
· Rebekah schemes with her second born son Jacob to deceive his father for the family blessing.
· Jacob was forced to flee because Esau had that after his father’s death he would kill Jacob.
· Rebekah sent Jacob away for what she thought would be only a few days. But she never saw Jacob again and he was gone for 20 years.
· Jacob had schemed and deceived to get the blessing and later he would receive in kind and even more from Laban his future father-n-law. Jacob worked 7 years to marry Rachel and was tricked by Laban into marrying Leah, the oldest daugher. Jacob then worked another 7 years for Rachel.
· Jacob used the skin of a kid goat to deceive his father Isaac, and in his old age he was deceived by his sons with the goat skin coat Joseph wore into believing his son was dead.
5. We reap in proportion that we sow.
· At a quick glance one might think that this law is same as law 4 but it is truly different. You can think of it this way law 4 is God’s part and this law, law 5 is our part.
· Can a farmer plant 1 acre and expect to glean from a hundred acres? NO…
· God has set forth two methods of sowing, bountifully and sparingly.
· The Old Testament affirms the principle of proportional sowing.
Proverbs 11:24-26 There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. 25 The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. 26 The people will curse him who withholds grain, but blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.
6. We reap the full harvest only if we persevere.
1 Cor 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
James 5:7-8 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
PUSH
· We can never eat tomatoes in July if we do not cultivate during the growing season
· So many times we stand on the edge of our miracle and turn and go another direction.
7. We reap only in the future not in the past.
· Where you are today is not indicative of where you can be tomorrow.
· Forget the past but learn from the past.
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