Don't Quit Before The Harvest

Introduction

Build the tension up front: the temptation to quite quiet, unseen work (not discouragement alone, but "why bother" - temptation to quit)

Paul writes this letter to churches struggling with the tension between Christian freedom and moral responsibility. There was controversy within the church over whether believers were required to observe the Jewish law. Paul makes it clear that justification comes through faith in Christ, not by works of the law.

Our passage today falls within the section where Paul gives practical instructions for Christian living—bearing one another’s burdens and fulfilling the law of Christ. He calls believers to Spirit-led living, emphasizing that we should walk by the Spirit rather than be controlled by the desires of the flesh.

And that is where I want us to look this morning.

The tension between walking by the flesh and walking by the Spirit may seem simple on paper. But when we examine the principles of that walk, we discover some challenges that are worthy of our attention.

So, will you walk with me this morning?

Let’s take a closer look at four types of members we find in the local church.

Sunday School - gave the lecture, no thank you, not even a bottle of water

Kitchen - fixing plates, throwing out trash, washing dishes

Choir - sings every Sunday despite not being a great singer, no encouragement

Cleaning - empties trash bins, picks candy wrappers off the floor and out of the pews (sharpest sting -cleaning up after others' carelessness; land this one last)

- Refrain repeated after each image: **"Am I working in vain for the Lord?"**

**"This morning, I want to answer that question - straight from God's Word."**

Galatians 6:7–8 KJV 1900

7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 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.

Movement 1 - Check Your Seed and Choose Your Field (vv.7-8)

"Be not deceived, God is not mocked..."

Be not deceived - means don’t be lead astray

God is not mocked - This means that God is not fooled by our actions

Check your Seed

What type of Seed are you sowing?

Are you planting in the field of the flesh? Seeds of Selfishness, self righteousness, and seeds of sin

Are you planting in the Garden of the Spirit? Seeds of Commitment, Seeds of obedience, seeds of humility, and the seeds of love.

Because the Seeds you sow and field you choose will determine what and how you reap.

Of the Flesh - Reap Corruption (decay)

Of the Spirit - Reap Eternal Life

God will judge righteously, and a person who lives the life that pleases the Spirit will receive the reward of eternal life.

“Think about a farmer. When harvest time comes, the farmer doesn’t create the crop—he reveals what he planted. If he planted wheat, wheat appears. If he planted weeds, weeds appear. The harvest doesn’t surprise him; it confirms what he already knew about his planting. The same is true spiritually. Your character isn’t something God will create at judgment—it’s something you’re creating right now through your choices. Every choice is a seed. The harvest will simply expose what you’ve been building all along.” This does not mean that eternal life is earned by works. Paul is saying that we must be guided by the Spirit in our every day walk of life.

Colossians 3:23–24 NKJV

23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Luke 16:10 NKJV

10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

Application:

Only what you do for Christ will last.

When you are cleaning up around the church, preparing plates, teaching or attending Sunday School, singing in the choir, or serving in any way that honors Christ, you are sowing to the Spirit.

These acts of service may seem small, and sometimes no one may notice them, but God sees every seed you sow. And Paul reminds us that “he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” What you do for Christ may go unnoticed by people, but it is never unnoticed by God.

Galatians 6:9 KJV 1900

9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Movement 2 - Keep going through the Season (v.9)

- "Let us not grow weary while doing good..." (Seed Crops grow slowly)

- The heart of the sermon: weariness, delay, the "due season" promise. This is the GRACE in this passage. In God’s perfect timing, a harvest will come.

The passage is telling us, don’t lose heart while you’re working toward your harvest. Weary and Faint Not carry the same meaning and that is to be exhausted and giving up.

“When Paul says ‘don’t grow weary,’ he’s not primarily talking about physical tiredness from working too hard. He’s talking about something more dangerous: the moment when you start doubting whether your service actually matters. You’ve been sowing good seed for months or years, and you see no harvest. So you think, ‘Why bother?’ That’s the discouragement Paul is addressing. It’s not your body that’s tired—it’s your faith that’s wavering.” You don’t have to see the results to trust the process.

You will have some sunny seasons, when everything seems to be going your way.

You will have some rainy seasons, when the storms of life are falling all around you. And you will have some seasons when you simply don’t feel like getting out of the house.

But whatever season you’re in, don’t faint. Paul says, “In due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

The season may change. Your circumstances may change. Your feelings may change. But God’s promise has not changed. Keep sowing. Keep serving. Keep trusting. Your harvest is coming.

- Illustration: The two pea gardens (real, personal)

- Year one: planted peas, didn't cultivate - nothing came up (only one bag harvested)

- Year two: same garden, patiently cultivated, fought weeds growing alongside the peas - harvested

 several bags

- Peas normally sprout in 5-7 days; real texture of watering/weeding with no visible sign yet, weeds

 threatening to choke the work

- Landing line: **"The weeds didn't mean the peas weren't coming. They meant I had work to do while

 I waited."**

Application:

You may be asking what is doing good? Eating my vitamins and drinking a glass of milk.

Are you measuring success with wordly metrics or Are you working diligently for God?

When is the last time you talked with a struggling believer

Are you helping bear a burden for a friend

- Transition: From Discouragement to Perseverance:

“You’re tired. You’re wondering if it matters. Paul knows that feeling. So he adds...”

Galatians 6:10 KJV 1900

10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Movement 3 - Capitalize on Every Opportunity(v.10)

Notice this progression: sowing>>waiting>>reaping>>doing good

Illustration: The Open Door

Imagine walking down the street and seeing someone struggling to carry several bags. You are already running late. You could keep walking and say, “Somebody else will help them.”

But something causes you to stop.

You walk over and say, “Let me help you.”

It only takes a few minutes.

You may never see that person again. You may never know what that simple act meant to them. But in that moment, God gave you an opportunity to sow a seed.

That's what Paul is talking about in Galatians 6:10.

“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men…”

Paul doesn't say, “Wait until you have plenty of money.”

He doesn't say, “Wait until you have more time.”

He says, “As we have opportunity.”

Preaching Point

You don't always have to look for a miracle to find an opportunity. Sometimes the opportunity is standing right in front of you. Somebody needs encouragement.

Somebody needs a prayer. Somebody needs forgiveness. Somebody needs a meal. Somebody needs a ride. Somebody needs somebody to listen. Somebody needs you to say, “I'm praying for you.”

Every opportunity to do good is an opportunity to plant a seed.

- Transition: Name the wait explicitly before resolving it - "You've been serving. You've been sowing. And you're still asking the question we started with - does this matter?"

Conclusion

Central Idea: Because the harvest is certain (even though delayed) believers must not grow weary in doing good - especially for those doing unseen work

Notice the shift in how Paul changes the pronouns. Paul has been using the pronoun He in verses 7 - 8. But in verse 9-10 he shifts to We. That shows us that we have a responsibility to encourage each other on this battle field.

My God is Real and We cannot fool Him

I cannot sow peas and expect to reap okra

One of these days, He will say servant well done

I am on the battlefield for the LORD

You may not hear them say Thank You, they may not bring you a glass of water, but I want to encourage you to keep sowing seeds. A Crown and a Reward is waiting on you

It is not your works that will determine your reward but your walk guided by the Spirit

Serving the Lord will pay off.

- Lead the congregation live, second person, direct address: **"Right now, pray this with me... Lord, I don't

 feel it right now, but I believe You when You say in due season I'll reap - help me not lose heart today."**

Relevant Biblical Evidence:

Matthew 25:21 and 23 reward the faithful servants: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.” This suggests reward based on faithfulness. Yet 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 clarifies: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase,” emphasizing divine agency, not human achievement.