The Law Of Sowing And Reaping
Text: Gal. 6:7
Intro: The Law of Sowing and Reaping is universal. It works the same way regardless of the part of the world in which one lives. No one would ever plant a field of corn and expect to harvest cucumbers. Nor would one plant peas and expect to harvest persimmons. One always expects to harvest what has been planted. It is a universal law.
The principles of the Law of Sowing and Reaping operate in every area of life. However, we are most concerned today with how it affects our spiritual lives. After all, the Law of Sowing and Reaping is first and foremost, a spiritual law, given by God.
I want to speak to you today about three principles involved in this spiritual law. These principles can operate on a positive or negative level. If our lives are lived for self and sin, these principles will bring forth a disastrous harvest. On the other hand, if our lives are lived for the Savior, these principles will produce a delightful spiritual crop.
Let’s examine this law today and see how its principles affect our spiritual lives.
Theme: This law involves a principle, which says…
I. WE REAP ACCORDING TO WHAT WE SOW.
NOTE: This law became all too evident in one man’s experience:
Sir Robert Watson Watt, the inventor of the radar was arrested himself for speeding. He had been caught in a radar trap. Shortly after this irony he wrote this poem:
Pity Sir Robert Watson Watt
Strange target of his radar plot,
And this, with others I could mention,
A victim of his own invention.1
A. Sowing The Seeds Of The Flesh Produces The Fruit Of Corruption.
Gal. 6:8a “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption…”
1. This is seen in the sensual sins of our day.
Gal. 5:19 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,”
NOTE: [1] The word “fornication” (porneia) refers to “…illicit sexual intercourse.”2 It is this Greek word from which we derive the English word “pornography.”
[2] The term “uncleanness” (akatharsia) makes reference to “moral uncleanness in thought, word, and deed.”3
[3] “Lasciviousness” (aselgeia) is the act of “…lawless insolence and wanton caprice…It speaks of one who acknowledges no restraints, who dares whatever his caprice and wanton petulance may suggest.”4
[4] The sensual lifestyle seems to be the rule of our day. And whether the proponents of the hedonistic persuasion realize it or not, there will be a heavy price to pay. Oscar Wilde once confessed:
The gods had given me almost everything. But I let myself be lured into long spells of senseless and sensual ease...Tired of being on the heights, I deliberately went to the depths in search for new sensation. What the paradox was to me in the sphere of thought, perversity became to me in the sphere of passion. I grew careless of the lives of others. I took pleasure where it pleased me, and passed on. I forgot that every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character, and that therefore what one has done in the secret chamber, one has some day to cry aloud from the housetop. I ceased to be lord over myself. I was no longer the captain of my soul, and did not know it. I allowed pleasure to dominate me. I ended in horrible disgrace.5
2. This is seen in the satanic sins of our day.
Gal. 5:20a “Idolatry, witchcraft…”
NOTE: [1] The word “witchcraft” comes from the Greek word “pharmakia, which word speaks in general of the use of drugs.”6 This is the same word from which we derive the English word “pharmacy.” However, the word is used in the New Testament to make reference to witchcraft, sorcery, or the magic arts.
[2] Witchcraft is still alive and well in America and the world today, as the following would indicate:
Recently, the Department of Defense recognized Wicca—a pagan religion of witches and warlocks—as an official religion. At Army base Fort Hood in Texas, 20 witches attend covens.7
3. This is seen in the social sins of our day.
Gal. 5:20b “…hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
NOTE: [1] “Variance” refers to “contention, strife, fighting, discord, quarreling, wrangling.”8
[2] The word “emulations” speaks of “jealousy.”9
[3] “Strife” is from a Greek word which means, “…self-seeking, selfishness, factiousness.”10
[4] The words “seditions and heresies are kindred terms. The first suggests division, and the second cliques caused by a party spirit.”11
[5] “Revellings” simply refers to “unrestrained indulgence in any activity,”12 whether in drunken carousing or illicit sexual activity.
[6] Paul then tags what he has just said with the words “…they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:21b). The word translated “do” actually means, “to practice.”13 “Paul is not talking about an act of sin, but a habit of sin.”14
B. Sowing The Seeds Of The Spirit Produces The Fruit Of Christian Character.
1. Sowing to the Spirit changes our inward attitudes.
Gal. 5:22a “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…”
2. Sowing to the Spirit changes our outward actions.
Gal. 5:22b “…longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
NOTE: [1] The first three characteristics mentioned in verse 22 are what could be defined as the Godward aspects of our Christian character. The next three characteristics of verse 22 express the manward aspects of our Christian character, while the remaining characteristics are the selfward aspects of our Christian character.
[2] The word “longsuffering” means, “…patient endurance of wrong under ill-treatment, without anger or thought of revenge.”15
[3] “Gentleness” can be defined as “kindness.”16
[4] “Goodness” speaks of “…an uprightness of soul that abhors evil, a clean-cut honesty of motive and conduct.”17
[5] The word “faith,” as it is used here, does not specifically refer to trust in or reliance on God. The idea here is “faithfulness, dependability.”18
[6] “Meekness” refers to “the right use of power and authority, power under control,”19 not weakness.
[7] The Greek word translated “temperance” means, “…self-control (lit., a holding in with a firm hand).”20
C. Sowing The Seeds Of The Spirit Produces The Fruit Of Christian Compassion.
1. This will result in concern for the burdens of others.
Gal. 6:2 “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”
2 Cor. 1:4 “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
NOTE: [1] If God’s so loving and kind, why does He allow burdens to come into the lives of His children? Perhaps this poem says it best:
My Prayer
My burdens keep me humble
And they teach me to pray.
If I murmur, if I grumble
Forgive the words I say.
Give me strength to just carry
My load day to day.
Just don’t take my burden
Or my cross away.
With the cross on my shoulder
My feet cannot stray.
For my cross leads me onward
To my home so far away.
And I’ll never question
The price I must pay.
But don’t take my burden
Or my cross away.
For I would grow careless
And idle I fear.
My eyes would be dry
I’d never shed a tear.
Lest I forget
That I need You today,
Don’t take my burdens
Or my cross away.21
[2] Whether we like it or not, or know it or not, we need those burdens that God has permitted in our lives. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t sometimes need other saints to help us bear them.
2. This will result in clemency for the sins of others.
Eph. 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
3. This will result in caring for the needs of others.
I John 3:17 “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”
Prov. 11:25 “The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”
II. WE REAP IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE SOW
A. This Is True Of Our Christianity.
II Cor. 9:10 “Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)”
1. This principle is seen in the life of Solomon.
2 Chron. 1:10 “Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?
11 And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:
12 Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.”
2. This principle is seen in Peter’s Pentecostal harvest of souls.
Acts 2:41 “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
NOTE: In Acts 2:14-40, Peter preached one message in obedience to God, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, reaped a harvest of three thousand converts to Christ. God’s principle is that you always get back more than what you sow—good or bad.
3. This principle is seen in God’s promise to the giving saint.
Luke 6:38 “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.”
4. This principle is seen in our salvation.
John 10:10b “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
John 10:28 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
NOTE: When we got saved, we gave Jesus our awful life. In return, He gave us His abundant life. We gave Him our sins; He gave us His salvation. We gave Him our hopelessness; He gave us hope and Heaven. In faith we gave Jesus our failures; He gave us forgiveness. You get the point. We have reaped much more than we’ve sown.
B. This Is True Of Our Corruption.
1. Sin often produces a far bigger crop than desired or expected.
Hosea 8:7a “For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind…”
James 1:15 “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
NOTE: [1] In Hosea 8:7, God was about to teach rebellious Israel the Law of Sowing and Reaping. The usage of words in this verse is rather descriptive. God said that Israel had sown the “wind,” but that they would reap the “whirlwind.” The word “wind” makes reference to a “breath.”22 The word translated “whirlwind” refers to “a hurricane.”23 Be careful what you sow in this life, dear friend, because it’s going to come up in spades one day.
[2] Human beings are sometimes strange creatures. They often sow their wild oats, and then pray for crop failure. I’m not quite sure, but I believe it was Warren Wiersbe who once said the following:
Sin will take you farther than you intended to go; keep you longer than you intended to stay; and cost you more than you intended to pay.24
2. The result of Achan’s sin became an excruciating experience.
a. Thirty-six of his comrades died due to his greed.
Joshua 7:5 “And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.”
b. Achan and his whole family were stoned to death because of his greed.
Joshua 7:24 “And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.”
3. Likewise, David reaped far more than expected from his sinful episodes.
a. David’s adulterous fling with Bathsheba resulted in his family’s devastation.
2 Sam. 11:4 “And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.”
(1) The women of David’s household were sexually assaulted.
2 Sam. 13:1-14 (David’s daughter, Tamar, was raped by her half brother, Amnon.)
2 Sam. 16:22 (David’s concubines were violated by his own son, Absalom.)
(2) David’s first child by Bathsheba died.
2 Sam. 12:14
(3) David’s sons, Amnon and Absalom, were both killed.
2 Sam. 13:28-29 (Amnon was murdered by Absalom for the rape of Absalom’s sister, Tamar.)
2 Sam. 18:14-15 (Absalom was killed by Joab and his men for trying to usurp David’s throne.)
b. David’s sin of numbering the people of Israel ended in massive death.
1 Chron. 21:14 (70,000 people died due to a plague God sent upon Israel.)
NOTE: All of this may seem harsh to us. But folks, don’t forget: God is a loving, just, and fair God. He has set certain boundaries for man, when, if crossed, result in unpleasant circumstances, not because He doesn’t love us, but because He does. Listen to this.
Harvest of Ones Own Sowing
This is the bitterest of all—to know that suffering need not have been; that it has resulted from indiscretion and inconsistency; that it is the harvest of one’s own sowing; that the vulture which feeds on the vitals is a nestling of one’s own rearing. Ah me! This is pain! There is an inevitable Nemesis in life. The laws of the heart and home, of the soul and human life, cannot be violated with impunity. Sin may be forgiven; the fire of penalty may be changed into the fire of trial: the love of God may seem nearer and dearer than ever and yet there is the awful pressure of pain; the trembling heart; the failing of eyes and pining of soul; the harp on the willows; the refusal of the lip to sing the Lord’s song.25
III. WE REAP AFTER WE SOW
A. We Reap After Our Service.
1. The harvest comes to those willing to wait.
Eccl. 11:1 “Cast thy bred upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.”
Gal. 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
NOTE: The fact is, fruit must be cultivated, and therefore takes time to develop. Patience is always involved in reaping the harvest.
The Waiting Soul
Breathe from the gentle south, O Lord,
And cheer me from the north;
Blow on the treasures of thy word,
And call the spices forth!
I wish, Thou knowest, to be resign’d,
And wait with patient hope;
But hope delay’d fatigues the mind,
And drinks the spirits up.
Help me to reach the distant goal’
Confirm my feeble knee;
Pity the sickness of a soul
That faints for love of Thee!
Cold as I feel this heart of mine,
Yet, since I feel it so,
It yields some hope of life divine
Within, however low.
I seem forsaken and alone,
I hear the lion roar;
And every door is shut but one,
And that is Mercy’s door.
There, till the dear Deliverer come,
I’ll wait with humble prayer;
And when He calls His exile home,
The Lord shall find him there.26
2. Sometimes the harvest is realized in the midst of personal want.
2 Cor. 8:14 “But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality.”
B. We Reap After Our Sin.
1. Just because sin isn’t judged immediately doesn’t mean one has escaped scot-free.
Eccl. 8:11 “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:
13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.”
2. Without fail, God always judges sin.
Num. 32:23b “…and be sure your sin will find you out.”
Theme: This law involves a principle, which says:
I. WE REAP ACCORDING TO WHAT WE SOW
II. WE REAP IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE SOW
III. WE REAP AFTER WE SOW
End Notes:
1. Brett Blair, Sermon Illustrations, 1998.
2. W.E. Vine, M.A., An Expository Dictionary Of New Testament Words, published by Fleming H. Revell Company, Old Tappan, New Jersey; Vol. II, pg. 125.
3. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Editors, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, published by Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois; pg. 607.
4. Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies From The Greek New Testament, published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan; Galatians In The Greek New Testament, pg. 157.
5. Oscar Wilde, quoted by Wm. Barclay, Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians, p. 100.
6. Ibid, pg. 157.
7. Taken from a brochure for “The Church Around The World,” a magazine published by Tyndale House Publishers.
8. Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies From The Greek New Testament, published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan; Galatians In The Greek New Testament, pg. 158.
9. Ibid, pg. 158.
10. Ibid, pg. 158.
11. Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Free, published by Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois; pgs. 131 & 132.
12. Victoria Neufeldt, Editor in Chief, and David B. Guralnik, Editor in Chief Emeritus, Webster’s New World Dictionary Of American English, published by Webster’s New World, Cleveland & New York; pg. 954.
13. Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies From The Greek New Testament, published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan; Galatians In The Greek New Testament, pg. 158.
14. Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Free, published by Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois; pg. 132.
15. Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies From The Greek New Testament, published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan; Galatians In The Greek New Testament, pg. 160.
16. Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Free, published by Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois; pg. 135.
17. Charles F. Pfeiffer and Everett F. Harrison, Editors, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; pg. 1297.
18. Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Free, published by Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois; pg. 135.
19. Ibid, pg. 135.
20. Charles F. Pfeiffer and Everett F. Harrison, Editors, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; pg. 1297.
21. Source unknown.
22. James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D., The Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible, published by MacDonald Publishing Company, McLean, Virginia; #7307 of the Hebrew And Chaldee Dictionary, pg. 107.
23. Ibid, #5492 of the Hebrew And Chaldee Dictionary, pg. 82.
24. Warren W. Wiersbe.
25. F. B. Meyer in Charles Swindoll’s, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, p. 246
26. Olney Hymns, William Cowper, from Cowper’s Poems, Sheldon & Company, New York.
