"Reaping with Joy"

October 19, 2025

FBC Baxley

am service

Jessie Stallings, Reagan family…Jada miles______________

Welcome radio and online guests…

Vision Statement: FBC Exists to Live & Share the Love of Jesus Christ, through worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry & Evangelism.

** I want you to know, GOD LOVES YOU!

*It’s ok however you’ve entered, we are all here seeking God’s will, way and plan.

Some rescued, redeemed, Some Saved….Some Not..

All Loved…

*Acts 4:12

Sermon Title: “Reaping with Joy”

Scripture Passage: Psalm 126:5–6

5 Those who sow in tears

shall reap with shouts of joy!

6 He who goes out weeping,

bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home with shouts of joy,

bringing his sheaves with him.

PRAY-

Psalm 19:14

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Three Points:

The Pain of Sowing v.5

The Promise of Reaping v.5

The Picture of the Harvester v.6

Main Idea: Those who sow in tears will reap in joy, because God transforms faithful sacrifice into eternal fruit.

Introduction:

The Watermelon Garden

A while back, I read about a man who wanted to try his hand at gardening.

He watched a few “expert” videos online, bought some watermelon seeds, and confidently told his wife, “We’ll have a patch big enough to feed the whole county.”

He dug holes, scattered seeds, and even built a scarecrow.

Weeks passed. Nothing. No sprouts. Just soil and his crushed dreams.

Then one morning, he walked out to see a single little vine pushing through.

He was so excited he ran inside yelling, “It’s alive!”—like some mad scientist from an old movie.

But here’s the thing… that tiny sprout eventually produced just one watermelon.

And to this day, his family reminds him: “All that work for one melon.”

Farming isn’t easy. Sowing takes sweat.

Waiting takes patience.

And sometimes the tears flow when the results don’t come quickly.

That’s what the psalmist is trying to communicate in Psalms 126:5–6—the pain of sowing, the promise of reaping, and the joy of the harvest.

Context of Psalm 126

Psalms 126 is one of the “Songs of Ascents.”

These were sung by the people of Israel as they journeyed up to Jerusalem.

Many scholars—including Charles Spurgeon in The Treasury of David—believe this psalm was written after the return from Babylonian exile.

God had restored His people, but they were still rebuilding—still sowing with tears.

Verses 5–6 remind them—and us—that tears are not wasted in God’s work.

I. The Pain of Sowing (v. 5)

“Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.”

The Hebrew word for “tears” is דִּמְעָה (dim‘ah), which conveys not just a casual sniffle but deep, heartfelt weeping.

It’s the kind of cry that comes from your gut when life hurts.

Sowing is hard.

It means trusting that what’s buried in the ground will one day bring life.

Spiritually, this is the season of praying, serving, giving, believing—even when results aren’t visible.

Charles Spurgeon said, “Tears are the seeds of future harvests of joy.”

John MacArthur says that the psalmist’s image connects to the exiles planting seed in a land they were rebuilding—sowing through hardship, trusting God’s faithfulness.

Think about it:

A parent prays for a prodigal child with tears on their pillow.

A Sunday School teacher prepares every week wondering if the seeds are landing.

A pastor preaches and serves in dry seasons.

Sowing in tears doesn’t mean God has abandoned you—it means you’re planting in faith.

****”Tears are not a sign of weakness—they are evidence of investment.”

II. The Promise of Reaping (v. 5)

“...shall reap in joy.”

-Notice the certainty: “shall reap.”

The Hebrew verb here, קוֹצֵר (qōtser), refers to the act of harvesting grain.

This is not a maybe harvest. It’s a promised harvest.

This is where God steps in.

He may not promise the harvest will come quickly—but He promises it will come.

Faithful sowing produces joyful reaping in God’s timing.

Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Our weeping is not the end of the story. God has a way of turning tears into triumph.”

Jesus affirmed this principle in John 16:20, “You will weep and lament... but your sorrow will be turned into joy.”

Illustration:

Farmers in ancient Israel often had to sow during seasons of drought.

They’d plant precious seed while hungry—believing that one day they’d eat. That’s real faith.

In ministry and in life, the harvest may be delayed, but it is not denied.

III. The Picture of the Harvester (v. 6)

“He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

This is one of the most vivid agricultural pictures in Scripture.

Let’s look at it closer:

“Goes forth weeping” — ongoing action in Hebrew. The sower doesn’t just cry once; he persists through pain.

“Bearing seed for sowing” — he doesn’t hoard the seed, he plants it.

“Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing” — a double emphasis in Hebrew (boʾ yābōʾ), meaning “he will absolutely, certainly return.”

“Bringing his sheaves with him” — arms full of harvest. Joy overflowing.

This image echoes the principle in Galatians 6:9 — “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Adrian Rogers said, “You’ll never have a harvest if you’re unwilling to plant in faith and plow through pain.”

Tears in the furrows lead to joy in the fields.

****”The same hands that scatter in sorrow will one day gather in gladness.”

Conclusion — The Joy of the Harvest

This psalm ends not with the sound of sobbing—but with the sound of shouting.

The people who went out with tear-stained cheeks return with arms full of blessings.

And church, this applies to more than just fields:

Some of you have sowed prayers for years.

Some have given sacrificially without seeing the results.

Some have served faithfully in hidden places.

But the harvest isn’t just about cornfields and cotton.

It’s about souls, character, and eternal fruit.

God is faithful to turn seeds sown in faith into sheaves of joy.

Three Life Applications

Keep Sowing Even When It Hurts. Don’t let tears make you quit—let them water the soil.

God uses seasons of pain to prepare fields of promise.

2. Trust God’s Timing for the Harvest. Reaping doesn’t happen overnight.

Just because you don’t see growth doesn’t mean God isn’t working beneath the surface.

3. Rejoice in Advance. Praise God before the harvest because His promise is sure.

Your tears are temporary, but your joy is eternal.

Closing:

“Tears are liquid prayers. They speak a language only God can translate, and He never lets a single drop go to waste.” — Charles Spurgeon

Friends, keep sowing. Keep believing.

One day, you’ll walk through the field of your faithfulness with arms full of joy, whispering, “It was worth it.”

-Pray

-Invitation