¡§Sowing¡¨
Sowing and Reaping. This is three-part sermon. Today¡¦s topic is ¡§Sowing.¡¨
When you plant something, you expect it to grow into what you planted. You don¡¦t plant tomatoes expecting cucumbers. You plant what you expect to grow. A seed can only produce what it¡¦s intended to produce, nothing more, nothing less.
We often look at sowing and reaping as giving offerings and tithes to the Church or doing some charity work. Sowing and reaping affects most areas of our lives.
We talk about a person reaping what he sows ¡V he¡¦ll get what is coming to him ¡V everything that goes around comes around. Sowing and reaping is a foundational principle. It works if you¡¦re saved or not. It works if you have faith or don¡¦t have faith.
The process works something like this:
„h You must choose your site and what you want to grow.
„h Next, you must know when to plant ¡V the seed¡¦s peak time for growth.
„h You must know how to plant the seed; some are planted deeper than others.
„h Then, you till the soil to prepare it to receive the seed.
„h After planting you must protect the seed from bugs or animals while it¡¦s growing.
„h Finally comes the harvesting, or reaping.
Reaping what we sow. This expression is found in Galatians 6:7:
¡§Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap¡K.¡¨
Whatever you sow, you will reap ¡V both the good and the bad. Paul states that we should not grow weary in doing good things because we will reap what we have sown. We know that we¡¦ll reap what we sow, but we may not understand that we¡¦re sowing everyday. We must be careful what we sow and where.
When planting a garden, you have an opportunity to prepare the soil. Sometimes, our spiritual walk is different. We let the seeds fall where they may. You know what¡¦s amazing? Our seeds produce a return regardless of the soil. Look at Matthew 13:3-7
Sowers would carry a basket of seed in one arm and toss the seed with their free hand. They would then till the ground and cover the seeds. Our farmers do it the opposite way ¡V they till the ground to make it ready for receiving the seed. When we sow seeds some fall on different types of soil and may not grow. We may not see results from those seeds, but because we were willing to sow, God will bring us a return ¡V sometimes from seeds someone else has sown. Once you sow your seeds, it¡¦s not your responsibility to make sure you get a return. Matthew 13:18-23 makes an important point that clarifies this.
Jesus compares the different seeds with what happens when the Word goes out. Sometimes it falls on ears that receive willingly; sometimes it falls on ears that don¡¦t want to hear at all. The one who received the word in verse 23 is the one bearing fruit ¡V not the one who actually sowed it. Did you get that? Once you have sown your seeds, you release them to the soil that has received them ¡V you turn it over to the soil.
The same principle applies to our spiritual seeds; we cannot make them produce. The one who receives the seed is responsible for producing something with it. We spread the seeds, God blesses us because we¡¦re sowing ¡V we don¡¦t have to worry about the return.
Look at Matthew 25:14-30 ¡V the parable about the man with the talents. Two of his servants multiplied what the master had given them and gave back more than they received. But one servant hid the money in the ground. He did nothing with the talents (a unit of money). Look at what the master says in verse 26: ¡§¡K.you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed¡K.¡¨ The one who sowed was the master. When he gave the seed (talents) to his servants, it became their job to grow the seed.
In John 4:34-38, Jesus explains another principle that applies to reaping. When the disciples show concern because Jesus had not eaten, he says they were reaping where they had not sown. There are times when we¡¦ll benefit from the work of others. Think about the civil rights movement ¡V people like Dr. Martin Luther King, Megar Evers, and Rosa Parks ¡V sowed seeds and we¡¦re reaping the benefits.
People say that if you sow in bad soil, you will not get a good return. Your return is not based on where you sow, but on your attitude while sowing. If you¡¦re sowing what you believe God has directed you to sow, God will bless it. If you¡¦re planting seed into something that you know God is not in or approves, you¡¦ll also receive. Whenever you sow, you will receive a return on what you sow ¡V the harvest will come.
Conclusion
In 1 Corinthians 3:6-8 members of the Corinthian Church said they were of Paul while others said they were of Apollos. Paul was a missionary who started the ministry there and Apollos followed him, held meetings and built up the ministry. Paul said that whether you planted (sowed) or watered, you will receive your reward. Our responsibility is to sow and produce with the seeds that are sown within us. Don¡¦t worry about the seeds you sow, just continue sowing. Remember Galatians 6:7
