Introduction
Sir Robert Watson Watt, the inventor of the radar was arrested himself for speeding. He had been caught in a radar trap. Shortly after his 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."
Brett Blair, Sermon Illustrations, 1998
There are three principles given to believers in this text.
Principle One: God knows what you sow.
Principle Two: What you sow is what you will get.
Principle Three: If you sow, you will reap a harvest
I. God Knows What You Sow
The idea found here is simply this; “Don’t fool yourself about what you are sowing because God isn’t fooled.”
He knows what you are sowing. Why? Because He is a good husbandman and takes care of his fields.
There are some valuable lessons for us.
1. Lesson One – Do not be a Fool (or fooled)
2. Lesson Two – God is not going to be fooled
3. Lesson Three – Sowing is the beginning of God’s Harvest (blessing)
4. Lesson Four – There can be no harvest without sowing the right seed
II. What You Sow is What You Will Get
Once the seed is sown, it is settled what you will receive.
There are two possibilities:
1. Sowing Good Seed will bring Good Harvest
2. Sowing Bad Seed will bring a Corrupted Harvest
Paul’s idea here is to remind the Galatians of their options.
You can get what you want or you can get what you do not want.
Getting what you want:
The idea here is not so much the “Prosperity” gospel as it is the God’s “Principal” of increase.
This principal is the basis of God’s command to Adam and Eve. “multiply and replenish the face of the earth”. It can also be said, “reproduce yourself”.
Adam and Eve were to reproduce themselves and reap the blessings of children. The blessings of children are the heritage or the increase of ourselves.
Paul was saying that whatever you sow --- whether it be physical, natural, or spiritual can only reproduce itself. So, in order to be blessed you must sow the things that are good or that increase or that are spiritual.
Example: Physical – Sowing seeds of increase (from these we are able to increase our family, our living, or our wealth.
Jacob asked Laban for the ring-straked and spotted calves. Then, he sowed the “seed” of rings and spots into the minds of the heifers. They began to “catch his vision” and the Bible says that calves were born ring-straked and spotted.
Jacob became wealthy because he sowed seeds of increase. God was able to bless him with wealth because he sowed seeds of increase.
Jacob also sowed natural seeds. He knew that cows have calves. He also knew that cows that are strong and healthy will have strong and healthy calves. He also knew that cows that are bred to good, strong, and healthy bulls will have calves that are the same. He recognized the “natural” principle. Like begets like. If God was going to bless him, he would have to be wise enough to use the principle of natural sowing.
Jacob also sowed spiritual seeds. He knew that God had promised him several things. He had promised him wealth. He had promised him a heritage. He had promised him.
God said to Jacob (in the middle of his rejection by Laban:
"Here Am I" -- Comforting words when you are facing the pressures of this world.
"Lift up, now, thine eyes, and see... -- spiritual vision.
1. "All the rams...ring-straked, speckled, and grisled..."
2. "For I have seen all that Laban doeth to thee"
"I am the God of Bethel" ---
1. "Where you anointed the pillow (of stone)
2. "Where you vowed a vow unto me..." (Jehovah God)
"Now arise and go to the land of thy kindred..."
1. Leave behind this world
2. Find faith, forgiveness, and fellowship among your own kin -- (whatever you sow is what you get)
3. Fulfil the dream (vision)
a. Jacob’s vision came in the wilderness, but was birthed by his commitment
b. Jacob’s dream was of a ladder set on earth that reached into heaven. He saw angels ascending and descending on it. He saw the Lord standing at the top of the ladder. He heard God say to him: "I am the Lord God of Abraham and Isaac (remember the "I ams" of scripture). I will give the land you are sleeping on to you and to your seed. Your seed will be as the dust (uncountable), spread abroad (to the north, south, east, and west,) and in thee (thy seed) shall all the families of the earth be blessed. (What you sow is what you get.)
I am with thee. I will keep thee in all the places (difficult, easy, or hard places).
I will bring you again to this land. I will not leave you until all this has been accomplished.
4. Jacob’s reaction:
a. He woke up (became alert to God)
b. He said, "Surely, the Lord is in this place. And, I did not know (until now and/or I now know for certain that God is here)
c. Jacob was afraid. Why? Was it the guilt of his own sins? Was it the understanding of the significance and the sovereignty of God? Was it his recognition of being or standing in the presence or in the sanctuary of the Lord? He said, "This is the house of the Lord. This is the gate of heaven."
d. Jacob rose up and worshipped God. He made his stone pillows the pillar of the house of God. He anointed the pillar of God and named it Bethel-- the house of God. Then, he vowed a vow and said, "if God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and rainment to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then, shall the Lord by my God (not a bargain, but a commitment --- what you sow is what you reap)and this stone shall be the house of God and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely (without fail or faltering) give thee, the tenth..."
Jacob never expected anything more or less than what he sowed. What you sow is what you will get.
There is another side to this story. If you sow things that are evil or wrong or bad, then, you will reap the same things.
I am convinced that many people are blind to what they are sowing. They are going through the motions, but are now attempting to sow according to God’s principles.
Then, they get angry at God, at others, and at themselves for all their “bad” luck. “Gloom, despair, and agony on me”.
Look at what we have sown as a society.
Lust of flesh
Lust of eyes
Pride of Life
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
I John 2:16-17
If you sow sin, you will raise up sin in your offspring.
If you sow sin, you will reap unspiritual children and families.
If you sow sin, you will raise little sinners with no knowledge or opportunity to serve God.
If you sow to the flesh, you reap corruption.
Don’t blame God for your problems and failures, look and see what you are sowing in your family.
III. If You Sow, You Will Reap a Harvest
The idea here is that whatever you sow will come back to you at some point.
If you sow nothing, you will not reap any harvest (increase).
This is a word of encouragement to the Galatians.
Paul is saying:
“Do not be weary in well doing”
Don’t stop sowing. Do not get discouraged and down about your increase. Live a life of consistent and faithful sowing and God will see to it that you reap a harvest in the proper time.
“For in due season, we shall reap”
There is a time for sowing and a time for reaping. You will enjoy the fruits of your labors in the proper time. You may get tired, weary, or despondent, but keep on sowing, knowing that God will bring your harvest to pass.”
You cannot get a harvest until the seed is sown.
You cannot get a harvest until the seed is cultivated.
You cannot get a harvest until the seed is ripe.
You cannot get a harvest if there are not laborers to bring it in.
You cannot get a harvest until the seed is harvested.
But, you will always get your harvest in the “season it is due”.
Attitudes of people concerning reaping their harvest:
Immature want it today
Desperate want it any way
Faithful want it some day
Mature want it the right way and on the right day
“If we faint not”
The indication here is that there are some rules for sowing and reaping we must follow:
Rule of Faith – If I sow it will grow
Rule of Faithfulness – If I sow consistently and wait patiently, I will reap what I sow
Rule of Fainting – I cannot give up or tire out or become upset with the timing and plan of God for my harvest
Rule of Fruit bearing – Fruit is natural, if the branch is connected to the vine, therefore, I know my harvest is coming.
Conclusion
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Don’t be foolish and think that God is unaware of your sowing. For if you will sow then you will harvest. Because the man who sows to his flesh shall reap corruption; but, the man who sows to the Spirit shall reap life everlasting. Therefore, let us continue to sow the things that will bring a physical, natural, and spiritual harvest into our lives, knowing that in the proper time, God will bring to us a great harvest, if we will be full of faith and faithfulness in our sowing for His harvest.
Altar Call:
Call for people to rededicate themselves to the plan of God for their lives.
