Sowing & Reaping

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Galatians 6:7–10 KJV 1900

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 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. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Introduction

The idea of sowing and reaping is woven into the fabric of our existence. There is not a single part of our life that its truth does not impact.

Illustration: in July of 1969 the United States sent a rocket to to space with three men in capsule bound for the moon. The magnitude of this achievement was so monumental that it has forever changed our world. But what is even more amazing is what it took to get the task accomplished. Thousands of engineers worked for years to construct the rockeat that would carry these men. Mathematicians spent countless hours calculating the exact trajectory that the rocket would need to fly in order to intercept the orbiting moon thousands of miles from earth in a lunar spacecraft that was traveling at over 20k MPH. In order for all of this all to work there had to be laws that govern the physical universe. They needed to be trustworthy and consistent in order for the calculations to work. If some governing law of physics changed just slightly the mission would have been impossible. However, as we know, the laws of physics do not change. The world and the universe around us are governed by laws that are constant, laws that are controlled by the creator himself.

Psalm 24:1 KJV 1900

The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein.

Colossians 1:17 KJV 1900

And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

In a similar way, God has woven into the fabric of the universe certain spiritual laws and principles that are just as consistent. When we look at this section of Paul’s letter to the Galatians we find one such law. The law of sowing and reaping.

Declaration: The sowing and reaping principle applies to every area of our lives

Proposition: Are we sowing in patience to the Spirit or are we sowing for the immediate results of our flesh?

Transition: We are going to look at this law from two perspectives. First the Law in principle and Second the law in practice.

First.....

I. The Law in Principle

Galatians 6:7 KJV 1900

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

This law is essential to the Christian life and is tied to his earlier discussion on the Flesh and Spirit. It begins with a warning about deception. No matter how simple the principle and no matter how obvious its truth we can still be deceived!

A. The principle doubted

“...be not deceived”

Illustration: No one likes to be deceived - we can all probably think of a time when we were taken by some scheme or some promise. If we are honest it left us with a bitter tasthe in our mouth and some level of sceptasism as we moved forward. The Christian life is no different. Spiritual truth can be forgotten and we can easily be deceived.

It can come in several forms...

1. Deception from within

many of us are not very aware of the destructive nature of our own sin - bewitched - foolishness - the propensity to be deceived is very real - it means to wander around and led astray.

1 Corinthians 3:18 KJV 1900

Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

Jeremiah 17:9 KJV 1900

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Pride and our selfish heart is the most deceptive and destructive force we face

2. Deception from without

Satan is a very deceptive force - people can deceive us as well - all from the outside

John 8:44 KJV 1900

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Colossians 2:15 KJV 1900

And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

he knows our weaknesses and designs specific attacks targeted at these weaknesses and often uses people in his attacks

Satan can be resisted

James 4:7 KJV 1900

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The principle can be doubted by deception but it can also be dismissed...

B. The principle dismissed

“ God is not mocked...”

Mockery - To ridicule - to turn up your nose at

Have we ever been guilty of mocking God?

The Lost world makes a mockery of God by denying his existance

The Religious world makes a mockery of God by denying his Son and the sufficiency of the Gospel

The Christian makes a mockery of God by sowing to the flesh and thinking there are no consequences

Don't be deceived that you can just walk in the flesh with no consequences. We are not legalistic in our approach but we are not proponents of loose living either. We cannot live our lives running against the law of God and expect nothing. We live in a cultutre that mocks God! God will not be mocked!!

Sometimes we get the idea that the filling of the Spirit is some sort of optional extracurricular activity reserved for those who are special and have a unique responsibility to be “filled with the Spirit” and “Walk in the Spirit”.

Sowing a mockery of God -

Proverbs 1:31 KJV 1900

Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own devices.

Job 4:8 KJV 1900

Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, And sow wickedness, reap the same.

Hosea 10:12–13 KJV 1900

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground: For it is time to seek the Lord, Till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; Ye have eaten the fruit of lies: Because thou didst trust in thy way, In the multitude of thy mighty men.

It can be doubted, it can be dismissed but it can also be plainly stated and that is what Paul does when he “declares it”

C. The principle declared

“…for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap”

Illustration: It’s like putting together a project with terrible directions. - Rebuilding the quad for the boys and buying the Haynes Manual - was not much help since it was not the “exact model quad” - God’s instructions are not confusing when we remember them!

lest we get confused - Paul states it very plainly for us

Whatever we invest that is what we get in return

2 Corinthians 9:6 KJV 1900

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

We have seen the law in principle, now we will notice the law in practice...

II. The Law in Practice

Galatians 6:8–9 KJV 1900

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

We start with opportunity...

A. The Possibility - two fields to sow into

“…he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption…soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting”

We have a daily decision to make as we decide where we are going to sow

It is as if there are two large fields before us that we can walk into in the morning and deposit our seeds

The Flesh - the temporary results or corruption

Abraham sowed to the flesh and reaped Ishmael. Isaac sowed to the flesh and reaped Esau. Jacob sowed to the flesh and reaped Simeon and Reuben. Lot sowed to the flesh and reaped Moab and Ammon. Samson sowed to the flesh and reaped blindness and bondage. Eli sowed to the flesh and reaped Hophni and Phinehas. David sowed to the flesh and reaped Ahithophel (the grandfather of Bathsheba and thereafter Absalom’s chief adviser in wickedness). Solomon sowed to the flesh and reaped Rehoboam. - Phillips

The Spirit - the lasting results of “life everlasting”

There is lasting impact in our Spititual sowing.

Illustration - No one likes the idea of things that do not last. We want our cars to last as long as possible, we want our homes to last as long as possible. This is why we do everything we can to cover the metal our cars are made of with layers of paint to delay corrosion. It is also what we cover our dwellings with roofs that do not leak since water will quickly damage and deteriorate the wood.

Enoch sowed to the Spirit and reaped rapture. Noah sowed to the Spirit and reaped salvation. Abraham sowed to the Spirit and reaped "a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God." Joseph sowed to the Spirit and reaped the most Christlike character and disposition in the Bible. Moses sowed to the Spirit and reaped a place on the Mount of Transfiguration. Joshua sowed to the Spirit and reaped the conquest of Canaan. Hannah sowed to the Spirit and reaped Samuel. David sowed to the Spirit and reaped a royal covenant. Hezekiah sowed to the Spirit and reaped the deliverance of Jerusalem. David sowed to the Spirit and reaped the high praise of heaven. Mary sowed to the Spirit and reaped Christ. Jesus sowed to the Spirit and reaped a multitude that no man can number whose names are written forever in the Lamb’s book of life. Peter sowed to the Spirit and reaped Pentecost. Paul sowed to the Spirit and reaped a crown. Stephen sowed to the Spirit and reaped an open heaven. John sowed to the Spirit and reaped the visions of Patmos. - Phillips

There is an opportunity before us but there is also a warning...”be patient”

B. The Patience - the season for reaping will come

“…and let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season”

Growing Weary -

To all of us it can seem as thought God is silent and the results of the seeds we are sowing will never come.

Have you ever felt like God is not listening to you? Or that what your are doing is not making a difference?

The Due Season -

“…for in due season we shall reap if we faint not”

God can be trusted and his word is sure we will reap “we shall reap”

There are many promised guarantees presented to us in this life - however most of them are not trustworthy. God on the other hand can be relied upon and his law is sure!

What will we reap?

There is opportunity, the warning to be patient and finally the remainder to stay persistent

C. The Presistance - we must stay the course

“...if we faint not”

Eveneryone gives up at some point - this is referring to a final quitting that results in a ceasing of sowing to the Spirit

Anything in life worth doing requires persistence and the principle we are discussing here is not different

What does it mean to faint?

Conclusion

Paul has reminded us of one of the most basic spiritual principles in all of Scripture, the principle of sowing and reaping. We have been focused lately on the lateness of the hour in reference to God’s timeline for this world. As the day draws nearer may we be reminded to think about what field we are sowing in and about the type of fruit we would like to be harvesting when the season comes.