SOWING AND REAPING
Psalm 126:5,6 Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
This psalm indicates that sowing can be hard but reaping is a joy. In order to receive the joy we often have to encounter the sorrow. This sermon teaches on principles of the harvest both old and new.
Genesis 1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
As we sow so shall we reap.
Genesis 8:22"While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease"
This verse tells us that there will always be a time of sowing seed and a time of harvest. It is never too late to start sowing seed. However, we may have to reap what we have sowed in the past before we can reap a new harvest.
Proverbs 11:24-25"One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."
Galatians 6:7-10 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Ephesians 6:8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
•Notice whoever, saved or unsaved – do good – they will receive same from the Lord
Luke 6:27-38 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, “bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. “To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. “Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. “And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. “And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
These verses serve as a basis for what is known as:
The Seven Laws of the Harvest
• We Reap Only What Has Been Sown
• We Reap the Same In Kind As We Sow
• We Reap in a Different Season than We Sow
• We Reap More Than We Sow
• We Reap In Proportion to What We Sow
• We Reap the Full Harvest Of the Good Only if We Persevere
• We Can’t do Anything About Last Year’s Harvest, But We Can About This Year’s
HARVEST IS DETERMINED BY THE KIND OF SEED PLANTED
• One prayer will not change twenty years of sowing seeds.
We determine the kind of harvest we produce by the kind of seed we sow; we determine the size of the harvest we produce by the quantity of seed we plant.
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…”
Sowing the Seeds of the Spirit Produces the Fruit of Christian Character
Sowing seed will always produce fruit. God has established the law of sowing and reaping. Therefore, we should seek to sow good seed that we may harvest good fruit.
Life is filled with choices, choices that affect us on an everyday basis in everything we do. That means our everyday choices are not without significance. Our choices affect us and others in dramatic ways whether we see it immediately or not. While earth remains, no man will mock God by changing for even one time these laws of the harvest.
Eph 5:15-18 "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;"
Psalm 90:12"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."
Why do we need wisdom? So we can make wise choices!
What we reap was planted either naturally or purposely, either by God or by man, and for either positive or for negative results. In other words, this law of the harvest, We Reap Only What Has Been Sown, has both a positive and a negative side
The Positive Side
We Reap Blessings Because of What God Has Done on Our Behalf
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
Mat 5:45"That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."
James 1:17"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with who is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
God is gracious toward all men whether they realize it or not, or whether they ever give Him thanks for His blessings.
We reap blessings from the labor of others.
John 4:38 “I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labor: other men labored, and ye are entered into their labors."
Not only are we blessed because of what God has done in our behalf, we are also blessed by what others have done. Others have labored and we have entered into the blessings of their labors. The blessings we have enjoyed in the Western world, of freedom, of law, of ministering to the suffering, the poor and the like, are all the by- products of Christianity and our godly heritage.
The Negative Side
We Reap the Wrong Others Have Sown
We reap a certain amount of wrong inherited from our parents.
Psalm 51:5"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me."
Psalm 58:3"The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies."
Gen 5:3"And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:"
Num 14:18"The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation."
We all reap the sin of Adam and we pass that along to our children. This means not only a sinful nature, but things children can learn like how to be critical from a fault-finding parent.
We reap the wrong of foolish and corrupt leaders
Romans 2:5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God
This often includes the judgment of God on society--past, present, and future. What is happening in our cities across our nation is that we are treasuring up wrath unto ourselves. It is of concern to us because, if the Lord tarries, it shall affect us greatly. As a nation, whatever we do is wrong because we as a people are wrong spiritually and morally. Note the author Edward Gibbon who, in 1787, after 20 years of labor, completed his book The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, In it he attributed the fall of the Empire as being:
• The rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis of human society.
• Higher and higher taxes and the spending of public moneys for free bread and circuses for the populace.
• The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal
• The building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy was within, the decadence of the people.
• The decay of religion--faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life and becoming impotent to warn and guide the people.
DO WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE DOING
Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.
Ephesians 4:29 "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (NIV).
• People who hurt others are really hurting themselves more and visa-versa for we reap what we sow
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.
OUR ACTION OR REACTION TO GIVEN SITUATIONS DETERMINES OUR SEED
Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
Sow words
Sow actions
Sow time
Sow proper attitudes
Sow spiritual time
SEED TAKES TIME TO PRODUCE
• Problems or solutions take time to be manifest
SEEDS THAT ARE PLANTED MULTIPLY WE REAP IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE SOW
2 Corinthians 9:10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
Luke 6:38, 39 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?
WE REAP ACCORDING TO WHAT WE SOW
Therefore remember firstfruit, the first fruits teach us the principle that God is working under – that something is not holy until it has been dedicated to God.
Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
STOP THE CYCLE RECEIVE YOUR VICTORY if you are reaping a bad harvest
TRUTHS ABOUT SOWING AND REAPING
Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, for you do not know what evil will be on the earth. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree falls to the south or the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
•God will test us by asking us to sow in the most unlikely places Cast your bread upon the waters
•We can’t sow enough Give a serving to seven, and also to eight GIVE OVER AND ABOVE EXPECTATIONS. Since the future is uncertain we should hoard our material possessions, right? WRONG! Sure, conventional wisdom teaches us to save for a "rainy day". But Jesus taught us in The Parable of the Rich Fool", to not only lay up treasure for ourselves, but also to be rich toward God. (Luke 12:21) Solomon says "give a portion to seven, and also to eight." The number seven is the biblical number of completion. You would be doing what was expected of you to give a portion of your goods to seven people. But Solomon says - try something radical for God - give to the eighth person also! Take the high risk! Go ahead, "cast your bread upon the waters!"
•Looking at things with a natural perspective instead of a faith perspective will prevent us from sowing and then reaping He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap DON’T MAKE EXCUSES
•Reaping will be a supernatural experience As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything EXPECT THINGS BEYOND YOUR UNDERSTANDING.
•Start sowing now In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand. Don’t wait! Begin to sow good seed today. The sooner you begin, the sooner your harvest. " 2Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly: and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully"
•We are always sowing whether we realize it or not by doing or not doing
If we keep on observing circumstances, instead of trusting God, we shall be guilty of sowing disobedience, rebellion and unbelief. Oh, if he would but alter my circumstances! What is this but tempting God, as they did in the wilderness, wishing him to do other than he does? We must understand that God is responsible for the harvest. We can’t make the harvest happen. That is God’s responsibility. 2 Corinthians 9:10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
