You Reap What You Sow

Galatians 6:6–10 ESV

6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 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.

Let’s pray

Intro: Don’t forget how you are saved

You are saved by faith apart from works

Galatians makes this abundantly clear

False teachers trying to push the law onto these new Christians

Paul is firmly against this teaching

Galatians 5:1–2 ESV

1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.

So don’t forget — You are saved apart from works — but this doesn’t mean what you do with your life doesn’t matter

I. Our actions in life have eternal consequences.

(Consequences ≠ always bad)

Galatians 6:7 ESV

7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

Explanation

Imagery from farming

Sow = planting into the ground

Reap = the harvest that you gather

Examples of reaping what you sow

If you sow wheat seed in the ground, then you will reap a harvest of wheat

Planting pumpkin seeds

Planting apple seeds

And if you don’t plant anything — you won’t harvest anything

Illustration

Not just farming though

If you study for a test, then…

But if you don’t study…

You reap what you sow

If you brush and floss your teeth, then…

But if you don’t brush…

You reap what you sow

If you get a job, then…

But if you don’t work…

You reap what you sow

Application

But reaping and sowing isn’t just a principle for farming and for working… What we do with our life will have eternal consequences.

Galatians 6:7–8 ESV

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.

Eternal consequences

Sowing to his own flesh will reap corruption

Sowing to the Spirit will reap eternal life

What is sowing to the flesh?

Galatians 5:19–21 ESV

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

So what is sowing to the flesh? — it is doing that which indulges in the passions of our sinful flesh

But don’t think sowing to the flesh is simply doing is grossly sinful

Sowing to the flesh, is putting your desires before the will of God… sowing to the flesh opposes the law of Christ

Galatians 6:2 ESV

2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

What is sowing to the spirit

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

What you sow in life will have eternal consequences in eternity.

But I thought we were saved by grace and not by works?

Is Paul trying to put these Galatians right back into a righteousness that is earned through the law?

No!

Galatians 5:18 ESV

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

That’s why Paul tells us to sow to the Spirit and not to sow in good works

And so Paul tells us: Gal 6:7

Galatians 6:7 (ESV)

7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

II. Do not be deceived, you will reap what you sow.

Explanation

Why does Paul tell the Galatians not to be deceived?

Because there are many who do not like this kind of teaching

They make it out to be a contradiction to the gospel

They say sowing and reaping = salvation by works

But if we fall into this deception

We won’t pursue righteousness

We wont put to death the deeds of the flesh

And we will fall into sloppy grace

And all of this will not produce the fruit of the spirit

We will instead - gratify the desires of the flesh — sowing to it instead

And the desires of the flesh will lead to corruption

But if we sow to the Spirit → the good fruit of the Spirit which ≠ legalism

Illustration

If you sow and seed into the ground → a harvest comes from that — who produced the harvest?

If you so to the Spirit — and from that good fruit comes — who then who produced the fruit?

1 Corinthians 3:6 ESV

6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

Galatians 6:7 ESV

7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

Galatians 6:8 ESV

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.

You will reap what you sow

So how do we sow to the Spirit? A: Use the means of grace that allows whereby the Spirit works through

Read and meditate on the Word

Pray

Hear the Word preached

Christian fellowship w/ all these means

How not to sow

Do good works for salvation

Giving to the church ≠ grace

Reading your Bible ≠ grace

Praying ≠ grace

Do not be deceived, you will reap what you sow

And all the more, do not grow weary of doing good, for you will reap what you sow

Galatians 6:9 ESV

9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

III. Do not grow weary, for you will reap what you sow.

Explanation

In v 7, Paul tells us not to be deceived

And now in v 9 he tells us not to grow weary of doing good

Why?

Because when we sow this good seed, and don’t see the fruit of our labor — we tend to give up

Sowing seed appears to be wasteful at first

Why put the seed in the ground instead of putting it to use by selling it, or using it to make bread?

B/c the farmer knows that he will have a greater harvest tomorrow if it is sown than if it is simply sold

We can grow weary of sowing to the Spirit — because the satisfaction from it is often not immediate

So instead we are inclined to sow to the flesh, because the satisfaction is far quicker

Illustration

What satisfaction comes sooner?

Binging TV or studying to pass your exam

Well judging on the # of students who have watch every StarWars movie/cartoon/show to those who have 4.0s

One takes diligent work for a greater and more lasting reward

The other’s reward is immediate, but short lived

Eating ice-cream, or exercising

Judging the number of ‘dad’ bods compared to bodybuilders — you can tell which is easier

owing to the flesh, or sowing to the Spirit?

Matthew 7:13–14 ESV

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Galatians 6:9–10 ESV

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.

Application

As we have opportunity

The season to sow seeds is not long

Do good to everyone

Especially those who are of the household of faith

May the Lord give us grace to do so