Tag Archives: Seed

March 24, 2019 · 5:23 pm

Reap What You Sow

Peninsula Community Church

March 24, 2019

Galatians 6:6-10 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

I love this time of the year. It is a time for us to see life again as Spring returns, flowers bloom, and it is a season of new beginnings. In just a few weeks, we will celebrate Easter and the power of the resurrection to fill the emptiness in our lives with His grace, healing, and a future. This is also the season that farmers begin to plant their crops for the year. They will begin by plowing the ground. They will determine what they will plant in which fields. They will select the seeds they will use. They will plant or sow those seeds because that is the only way for them to have a harvest. And then they will wait for the harvest.

I am not a farmer but my guess is that when a farmer chooses his seed, he does not just choose any seed. He chooses that seed that will provide the best reward for their time and energy. The reason this is done is that they what to reap an abundant harvest. It is a funny thing about the sowing and reaping process. We can only reap that which has been sown. If you do not sow, you will not reap. Secondly, what you reap is always greater than what you sow. We sow one seed, but from that one seed comes much fruit. Thirdly, there is life in the seed, but that life cannot be energized and revealed until it is planted in the ground.

That is why this is such a powerful verse. It is here that we learn about the idea of sowing spiritual seed. From this passage we learn much about how we are to do life. We learn what it means to sow in a way that brings an abundant harvest of righteousness. With that said let me make some observations about this passage.

First, do not be deceived. What is the deception? The deception is thinking that what you do does not matter. We can be deceived into thinking that our actions and our words do not matter, but they do. We can be lured into thinking that we do not influence others, but we do. We can be deceived into believing that our lives do not make a difference, but they do. We influence others and we make a difference with those around us by our actions, by our words, and by our life. As we discovered last week, the enemy loves to deceive us in order to destroy and minimize our influence for good. The enemy will cause us to believe that what we do does not matter, but I can tell you that God wants to use you for His glory and what you do matters and it matters much.

Second, to reap you must sow. While it is true that we should not be deceived, we must also understand that we will reap what we sow. In terms of sowing there are a couple of things that we need to consider. We must be aware that the size of the harvest will be determined by how much we sow. We sow a little and we will reap a little. Sow much and we will reap much. Listen to Paul’s words. Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8). This works in our friendships. It works in our giving. It works in how we treat others. It works in how we invest our lives into the ministries we have been called to. In other words, do not hold back from sowing good seed. Sow generously and faithfully because you will reap generously.

Third, you choose what you will sow. There is a choice to be made. Will you sow righteousness or unrighteousness? Your choice will determine what you will sow. You will sow righteousness or you will sow unrighteousness. In return you will reap either righteousness or unrighteousness. Listen to Paul’s words. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. If we sow negative seeds, we will reap negative harvest. If we sow good seed, we will reap a good harvest.

Listen to Hosea’s words Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. (Hosea 10:12-13). Solomon also had a word about this process. He states Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail. Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor (Proverbs 22:8-9).

We do not have to look far to see what has been sown in our generation and how those things have impacted our culture. Abortion, euthanasia, gender identity, high divorce rates, gay and lesbian rights, gun rights, voting rights, immigration, mass murders, killings of police officers, and so on all represent the seeds that have been sown into our society. We have sown unrighteousness and we are now reaping the results of the unrighteousness that has been sown. We are dissatisfied with life. We are walking aimlessly looking for answers, but cannot find any because we are looking in all of the wrong places. We are reaping the effects of uninviting God to be at the forefront of our society. We are reaping the effects of marginalizing God in society and the public forum. He has been removed from school, and the ten commandments have been stripped from the halls of our institutions. We are reaping what has been sown.

But there is hope in that we can sow seeds of righteous. By sowing seeds of righteousness we can reap the benefits of increased righteousness. We can change the cultural around us as we sow righteousness into every situation we encounter. One of the first questions in this regard is “Are you a victim or a victor?” Depending on how you answer this question will determine what you will sow and subsequently what you will reap. When we live with a victim mentality we tend to sow into ourselves and not into the world. We become wrapped up in our problems so that we fail to see the victory that is us.

When we live as a victim we tend to sow that mentality into others. When we are living as a victim we tend to discourage those around us because we are too focused on our personal victimization. We blame everyone else for our problems and fail to see what we could do to change things. We drag others into our misery in hopes they will feel our pain but there is hope.

That brings us to our next point. Do not be weary in doing good. Have you ever gotten tired of doing the right thing? Have you ever wanted to take revenge? Have you ever wanted to forget trying to do right because it does not seem to be working. Paul challenges us to not grow weary in well doing. Do not get tired of doing what is right.

The farmer must trust the sowing process and so should we. Notice that the farmer does not worry about what will come forth. He knows if he sows well, he will reap well. At the right time the seed will germinate and will produce fruit. We too must trust that if we do the right thing, blessing will come and we will be rewarded with a harvest at the right time. Sow in righteousness and be faithful to that process and in due season you will reap a harvest of righteousness.

Fourth, sow seeds of goodness to everyone. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Paul here expresses how we should sow good seed. Paul suggests that we should do good to everyone, especially those who are a part of the household of faith. Do not stoop to the level of those around you.

Paul had a great word in this regard. Listen to his words. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. (When someone persecutes you sow seeds of blessing). Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:14-21).

So let me ask you what are you sowing? Are you sowing righteousness or unrighteousness? Have you gotten tired of waiting for the harvest? Do not be weary. Stay strong. Do what is right because it is right. Honor God and sow good seed. Keep sowing!

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/messages.

You Reap what you Sow

Peninsula Community Church

You Reap what you Sow

May 21, 2017

2 Corinthians 9:6-9 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

Late one summer evening in Broken Bow, Nebraska, a weary truck driver pulled his rig into an all-night truck stop. The waitress had just served him his food when three tough looking motorcyclists decided to give him a hard time. Not only did they verbally abuse him, one grabbed the hamburger off his plate, another took a handful of his french fries, and the third picked up his coffee and began to drink it. The trucker did not respond as one might expect. Instead, he calmly rose, picked up his check, walked to the cash register, put the check and his money on the counter, and went out the door. The waitress followed him to put the money in the till and stood watching out the door as the big truck drove away into the night. When she returned, one of the bikers said to her, “Well, he’s not much of a man, is he?” She replied, “I don’t know about that, but he sure ain’t much of a truck driver. He just ran over three motorcycles on his way out of the parking lot.” You might say they reaped what they sowed.

Today, we will look at the principle of sowing and reaping. A right understanding of this principle is critical as we have been called by Christ to be fruit bearers in His name and the fruit we bear is directly related to what we sow. Jesus reminded us of the importance of bearing good fruit in John 15:5. He stated I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. Through a study of scripture, we have an understanding that bearing good fruit does not just happen. It is an ongoing process and a key part of this process is sowing and reaping.

The Bible is replete with passages that speak to the sowing and reaping principle. Listen to a few of these. As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same (Job 4:8). Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail (Proverbs 22:8). These two verses show us that when we sow evil, we reap evil. Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him (Psalm 126:5-6). Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you (Hosea 10:12). And finally, Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:7-10).

So what is the point here? It is simple. We all sow and we all reap what we sow. Everyone of us is in the process of sowing and reaping. We all sow through our deeds. We all sow through our words. We all sow by how we handle our possessions. We not only sow but we also reap the rewards of what we have sown; both good and bad. If we sow evil, we will reap evil. If we sow good, we will reap good. So what are you sowing? Your answer to that question is important because everyday we sow into our families, our marriages, our relationships, our church, our community, and the world. Someone has said “Today is the father of tomorrow.” The fact is what we do today directly impacts our future and all of the tomorrows to come.

In this passage we understand that sowing and reaping specifically affects our finances but there is much more to sowing and reaping than just finances. Our finances have been and always will be a reflection of what you are sowing in the other areas of your life. For example, how you sow your finances will determine your trust factor. How you sow your finances reveals your heart and the priorities in your life. Your financial generosity will define how generous you are in other areas of your life. So do you have a generous heart? Are you giving generously to the Lord? Paul states that if you sow generously you will reap generously.

With that said, we must understand that to reap good fruit we must sow good seeds because we to reap we must sow. When it comes to our walk with Christ sowing cannot be a passive process. If we do not sow good seed we will end up with weeds, thorns, and vines. The good we do can be destroyed if we are passive in our approach. To reap good fruit, we must sow good seeds. The question for us is whether or not the seed we sow is good or bad. It is a choice as to what we sow. What seed will you actively sow? Will it be good seed or bad seed?

How many farmers would be successful if they were passive in planting their fields. How many farmers sit back and hope their fields are planted? How many farmers sow just any seed or how many would carefully choose the right seed and sow that seed at the right time to produce the best harvest possible. To reap we must sow and we must sow good seed. Standing by wishing we have a harvest produces no fruit. Good fruit comes only as we sow good seed.

Secondly, sowing requires patience. Why is this? It is because we do not sow today and then reap tomorrow. There is a space of time between the time of sowing and the time of reaping. This is the most difficulty part of sowing seed. We do not see the results of what we have sown immediately. Sometimes we sow a lifetime of seed to only reap later in life. For example, how many have abused their bodies with drugs and alcohol only to find they have major health issues later in life because of the seed they sowed. They sowed bad seed and now they reap the results of that seed.

The opposite is true as well. We can sometimes sow good seed and not see much fruit right away but in due time we will reap a harvest. That is why Paul stated And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:7-10). We be faithful to sowing good seed. At the right time we will reap a good harvest.

Thirdly, you will always reap more than you sow. I found that one piece of see corn can produce up to ten ears of corn or more on one stalk. Each ear of corn will have about 400 kernels of corn on it. So we could say that each piece of corn seed has the potential of producing 4000 new seed that can be planted and produce more seed. Let me put it another way. Granville told me that one bushel of good seed corn can produce 260 to 300 bushels of corn on irrigated property. So you see whatever we sow, much more is reaped. When we sow good seed the ripple effect impacts multiple lives. We always reap more than we sow.

Fourth, what we reap is different from what we sow. We sow a kernel of corn but we reap a whole harvest of corn including the stalks and the ears of corn. The truth is that the seed sown is contained in that which is harvested. The problem with sowing is that too often we are waiting for the exact kind of thing to come back to us. Sowing good seed affects every area of our life. We sow and reap a harvest that is different from what is sown. Hosea has said that if we sow righteousness we reap love. Notice righteousness is sown but we love is reaped.

Sixth, the one who sows shares in the reaping. When we sow good see others are blessed by what we sow. There are times where others pay for our mistakes and the choices we make. The opposite is true as well. There are many people who reap the good we have sown. They reap a harvest of blessing because of our faithfulness to sow good seed. We see this in evangelism. We sow seeds of God’s love and others get the credit and the glory when the harvest occurs. The key for us is that we do not allow a spirit of jealousy to rise up within us and refuse to take credit for what only God can do. Having others join the harvest is the blessing of sowing good seed.

If you feel like you are not bearing good fruit perhaps you need to change what you are sowing? Sometimes we need to make a choice to sow something different to get a different result. When a farmer looks at his barren fields, he doesn’t gripe about it. One of two things will occur. For one, if he is not getting a harvest he will change the seed he uses.

Secondly he may start with the seed he has. He can hoard the seed or he can plant it. If he holds onto it, that’s all he’s got. If he gives it away, God will multiply it. So do not be stingy in your sowing. Do not be stingy with your finances. Do not be stingy with your grace. Do not be stingy with your love and compassion. Do not be stingy in sharing your faith. Stingy people reap what they sow. They reap emptiness but generous people reap life and hope. So sow your finances, your love, your faith, and you will reap a righteous harvest. Paul challenged us to be generous sowers so we will become blessed reapers. Give God a chance and see what He can do. Do you want to have friends? Sow friendship. Do you want people to love you? Sow love. Do you want to feel secure? Sow your finances in the right place. Do you want good health. Sow good eating habits. Do you want to see people come to know Christ? Sow seeds of evangelism. Remember to reap you must sow, and you must sow generously.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

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