Sowing and Reaping

Transcript

Rob McFarlane: 0:58

The title of my sermon today is Sowing and Reaping. Let's read what Jesus said in Luke chapter 6, verse 38. He said, Give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. In Luke 6, verse 38, we saw Jesus said, Give and it will be given to you. In eight words, he outlines a spiritual law that affects every area of our lives. It's called the law of sowing and reaping. Now the law of sowing and reaping started at creation and will continue as long as the earth remains. Let's look at Genesis chapter 1 and Genesis chapter 8. We see in Genesis chapter 1, verse 11 to verse 13, and God said, Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind on the earth. And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good, and there was evening and there was morning the third day. So we saw that on the third day of creation God set in motion seeds which grow into plants or trees, which produce fruit which have seeds in them. We see the law of sowing and reaping start. And then we see from Genesis 8 verse 22 while the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter day and night shall not cease. We see that this law of sowing and reaping, or seed time and harvest, as it's called in Genesis chapter 8, verse 22, will continue as long as the earth remains. Today we're going to look at three things about the law of sowing and reaping. So let's dive into these three things together. Number one, it works in the positive and the negative. It can work for us, but it can also work against us. As an example, the law of gravity can work for you or it can work against you. It can keep your feet firmly on planet Earth, but at the same time, if you fall from a height, you might get injured. And it's important for us to recognize that this law works for us and it can work against us. In Luke chapter 6, verse 37 to 38, we see that Jesus teaches us that what we sow is what we'll reap, both in the positive and in the negative. Let's read it out of the English Standard Version of the Bible. It says, judge not and you will not be judged. Condemn not and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. So we see it works in the negative and in the positive. If you don't judge, you're not going to be judged. If you don't condemn, you're not going to be condemned. If you forgive, you'll be forgiven. You could reverse each of those. You could say, if you judge others, you will face judgment yourself. Or if you condemn others, you will face condemnation yourself. Or if you are unforgiving to others, you too will face unforgiveness. Jesus continues in verse 38, give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. It's important for us to recognize that this works for us in the positive and in the negative. Let's make sure that we're sowing positive seed to receive a positive harvest, not negative seed to receive a negative harvest. Now we need to understand this is a law that we cannot escape. In Galatians chapter 6, verse 7 and 8, the Bible says, Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap from the flesh corruption, but the one who sows to the spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life. We see again in verse 8 that we should sow positive seed and not negative seed. If we sow good seed, we'll receive eternal life. If we sow negative seed, we will receive corruption. It's important for us to recognize that what we sow determines what we reap, and it works for us in the positive and in the negative. Have you ever found a situation in life where someone just seems to sow so much bad seed, have such a bad attitude, be so otherwise and judgmental with others, and then they tend over a period of time to reap so much more than what they've sown. They almost have sown the wind and now reap a whirlwind of consequences. Let's be those who recognize that sowing and reaping works for us both in the positive and in the negative. It can work for us, but it can also work against us. This brings me to my second thought today on sowing and reaping. Number two, the way we sow determines the way we reap. 2 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 6 and 7 teaches us. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. We should sow seed in our lives with a generous, willing, and cheerful heart. Let's not sow sparingly or under compulsion, under pressure, guilt, fear, or shame. Let's be generous in our attitude to others. Let's be generous with our time. Let's be generous with our financial giving. But let's always do it with a cheerful and willing heart. Remember, I said a couple of weeks ago when I spoke about the voice of the shepherd or the voice of the stranger, that the voice of the shepherd is faith, hope, and love, whereas the voice of the stranger is fear, guilt, and shame. We should give because we feel prompted by the Holy Spirit, and we do it in faith, hope, and love, not because we feel pressure, guilt, compulsion, or shame. What's motivating us in our giving? Let's give with a willing heart. Isaiah chapter 1 verse 18 says, if you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good of the land. So we've seen in point number two that the way we sow determines the way that we reap. Point number three. We must look for opportunities to sow good seed. And there are opportunities that present themselves in our lives every single day. Let's read Galatians chapter 6, verse 9 and 10. It says, And let us not grow wary 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. We need to look for opportunities to sow good seed. Two thoughts. What seed are you sowing into your future? Are you sowing positive seed or negative seed? It's important for us to look for opportunities to sow good seed that will affect our future in a positive way. Your relationships at home or at work or in the community are affected by the seed that you sow. Keep sowing good seed and you will reap a good harvest. Like it says in Proverbs chapter 18, the man who wants friends must show himself friendly. If you sow seeds of friendship, you will reap a harvest of friendship. The second thought is sow seed into your area of need. If you have a particular need in your life, the best thing you can do is to begin to sow seed into somebody else in that particular area. As we are generous in our area of need, God has something to work with to be able to produce a harvest where you will reap good things in that area in your life. There are times when we sow good seed in faith, trusting God for a harvest. And there are times where we reap the seed quickly, and there are other times when there's a waiting period. Let's look at two quick examples. Genesis 26 and Psalm 126. In Genesis 26, verse 12, we read that Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold, and the Lord blessed him. Now, if we go back to Genesis chapter 26, verse 1, it tells us that there was a famine in the land. So in a time of famine, Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. That is a huge return, 10,000% return. And this was evidence of the Lord's blessing. He didn't withhold when there was famine, but he began to sow. You may sense that there's famine in your marriage, or famine in your relationship with your children or your parents, or famine in an area in your life. And as you begin to sow good seed in that area, you can trust God to cause there to be a hundredfold return, an abundant return, trusting in his blessing. But it's not always instant, it's not always a short-term result. Sometimes it takes time. And Psalm 126, verse 5 and 6 teaches us: those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy. My friend, you might be feeling like you're sowing in tears, where it's hard work. Well, let's trust that even though we sow in tears, we will reap with shouts of joy. Verse 6 tells us, he who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Let's trust that even though sometimes it's difficult, let's trust that as we continue to sow good seed, that we will see a harvest. Remember, the measure that you use, it'll be brought back to you. Remember that the way we sow determines the way we reap. Let's do it with a cheerful heart full of faith. Let's trust that our God, who says He will not be mocked, whatever we sow, we will reap, will cause the seed we sow to produce a good harvest in our lives. So, in summary, we've seen three things about sowing and reaping today. First, it works in the positive and the negative. Second, the way we sow determines the way that we reap. And third, we must look for opportunities to sow good seed. We're gonna pray together. And as we pray, let's ask the Holy Spirit to show us what he wants us to do as a result of what we've heard in today's sermon. Let's pray. Father God, thank you for the law of sowing and reaping. That you said, give and it will be given to you. And Lord help us to live our lives in a way that trusts you, that whatever seed we sow, we will see a harvest of that seed in our lives. What we sow, we will reap. Help us to sow positive seed so that we receive a positive harvest. Thank you, Lord Jesus, that today you have put seed in our hands. Maybe that's finances, maybe it's time, maybe it's generosity in relationships. Help us to be those who sow good seed so that we reap a good harvest. Lord, we know that there are times when we've sown negative seed. And we ask, Lord, that you would mitigate the consequences of that in our lives. Help us to change the tempo, to change the mood by sowing good, positive, kind seed in Jesus' name. Holy Spirit, speak to us now and show us what you want us to do as individuals as a result of what we've heard in today's sermon. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.