Live Life Like a Farmer

2 Timothy 2:6-13 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.”

The title of my message is “Live life like a farmer.”

The Bible is full of farming language. The context in which the Bible was written was an agricultural society.

That’s why the Lord Jesus could start a lesson by simply saying, “a farmer went out to sow his seed...”(Lk 8:5)

Farming in the US is done by small minority. According to "Food and Farm Facts,” Farm and ranch families comprise less than 2% of the U.S. population.(https://www.fb.org/newsroom/fast-facts).

In ancient times however, somewhere around 85 or 90 percent of the whole population was directly involved with growing or getting food as their primary occupation. (Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary)

Paul naturally uses a farming language to explain the Christian life.

Three lessons:

The Christian life and farming are hard work.

The word that Paul uses here for farmer means, “tiller of the ground.”

Farmers who work the ground. In the spring you do tillage, then plant the seeds, then cultivate. Finally you get to the harvest in the fall and get ready for the next planting season by plowing the ground. Farmers will you tell you that their work is never done. When the weather doesn’t allow them to go out to the fields they work at the shop repairing something that is broken, doing maintenance or filing paperwork.

Farming practices have changed since the first century because of technological advances. However, farming is still hard work.

The verb that Paul uses for hard-work is to describe something that is exhausting: 1 to grow weary, tired, exhausted (with toil or burdens or grief). 2 to labour with wearisome effort, to toil. 2a of bodily labour.

James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Woodside Bible Fellowship, 1995).

Part of the reason why farming is hard is because you don’t have a 9-5 shift. Farmers work around the seasons. When the time comes to plant, the farmer must plant until the work is done. When it’s time to harvest, the farmer must work around the clock until the work is done. This implies getting up early and putting long hours.

Paul uses farming as an analogy to illustrate the reality of the Christian life. It’s hard work.

In Luke 9:62, Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

The kingdom of God must have to priority in our lives. They must step out in faith to serve him, without looking back.

What does Jesus want from his followers? Total dedication, not halfhearted commitment. His followers must accept the cross along with the crown, judgment as well as mercy. They must count the cost and be willing to abandon everything else that has given them security. Nothing should distract them from service for the kingdom.

Bruce B. Barton et al., Luke, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1997), 265.

1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Be a farmer, Timothy. Be a farmer, Christian–learn to work hard. When you start a task, finish it. Clean up your space, have a place for everything, keep a schedule, stay on your budget. Do not forsake your daily and weekly commitments. Be aggressive in your efforts to flee sin and pursue Christ. Be faithful in your ministry. Stop wasting time in front of the computer or TV. Work hard–only the faithful servant enjoys the sweet fruit of hard work. In fact, what drives a believer to do hard work is the harvest.

The Christian life and farming require wisdom & faithful waiting

Isaiah 28:24-29, Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting? 25 Does he not finally plant his seeds— black cumin, cumin, wheat, barley, and emmer wheat— each in its proper way, and each in its proper place? 26 The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding. 27 A heavy sledge is never used to thresh black cumin; rather, it is beaten with a light stick. A threshing wheel is never rolled on cumin; instead, it is beaten lightly with a flail. 28 Grain for bread is easily crushed, so he doesn’t keep on pounding it. He threshes it under the wheels of a cart, but he doesn’t pulverize it. 29 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is a wonderful teacher, and he gives the farmer great wisdom.” (Is 28:24–29)

Life and farming require wisdom. God is the giver of wisdom.

Each seed requires planting in its proper way and its proper place. In the same way, life needs to be handled according to the circumstance and the season that we face.

And then there is the required patience. There is so much a farmer can do. Somethings are out of is control. He cannot control the weather. He cannot make the corn grow.

He waits for the snow to melt so he can plant.

He waits for the rain so the plants can grow.

He waits for the crop to have the right conditions so he can plant.

James 5 7-9, Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”

The christian life requires waiting. Transformation doesn’t happen overnight.

Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Get ready for the most wonderful harvest to take place.

The Christian life and farming enjoy the fruit of their labor

Let’s go back to 6

It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.

While farming is hard work and it requires a lot of patient, harvest time is a reminder that it’s all worth it.

4 The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.” (Pr 20:4)

Proverbs 21:5 5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” (Pr 21:5)

7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 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. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Ga 6:7–10)

Our passage concludes with the folllowing words:

7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” (2 Ti 2:7–13)

Ephesians–Philemon Comment

It is more likely that Paul has in mind the same kind of “dying with” Christ that he refers to in Romans 6:8–11. That passage speaks not of the believer’s own physical death but of his union with Christ’s death and resurrection. Believers are joined to Christ by faith and through the Spirit. Their union with Christ results in his death’s counting for them: he died as their representative and substitute. In that sense believers have “died with him,” and this is likely what Paul has in mind here as well. All Christians are joined to Christ’s death through faith. If we have died with him, we will also live with him—we will know new life now through the Holy Spirit.

In the same way, believers will also live with Christ. “Live” is in the future tense, which may anticipate the believer’s future resurrection from the dead. Believers have new life in the present through the Holy Spirit. But the future life is a physical resurrection that will be just like Jesus’ resurrection (cf. Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 15:20–23).

The Bible speaks of a final harvest. Jesus is the ultimate farmer. One day he will come back to gather his people from every corner of the earth.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”” (Mt 13:30) Parable of the weeds.