July 24, 2022 - Sowing & Reaping
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
I’m sure that we all have had the experience of being up late one night...
and as we’re flipping through the channels we come to a late night TV preacher...
…who is asking his audience...
…to SOW a SEED to his ministry...
To give MONEY to his ministry - SO THAT YOU THEN - will reap the benefits of such a decision!
“Have a need…sow a seed!”
As you can see - today we will be discussing the idea of...
SOWING & REAPING
It’s a topic that has OBVIOUSLY been abused by many...
…and i think THAT ABUSE - has lead to this topic also being - misunderstood. (pause)
First thing - This concept of SOWING and REAPING has really been PROPPED up to ONLY be out SOWING money...
That the term SOWING - ONLY relates to giving money.
I don’t think this term ONLY refers to money in Scripture - and so it’s possible for us to....
Sow TIME to the Lord
SOW our energy, effort, talents to the Lord...
And of course - it CAN also mean to sow our money or possessions…to the Lord...
BUT NO DOUBT - this topic has been abused
And when things get abused... or MISused in society - and it can actually turn people off to the ENTIRE concept of THAT THING...
And so - it’s good for us - to think RIGHTLY about this topic…and it’s something that we as a church have recently walked thru…so it should be fresh in our minds!
So let’s get to our text...
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.
I don’t think it’s too far of a stretch to think - that with all the FALSE TEACHING being pushed in the Galatian churches...
THAT some DOUBT had probably crept into the churches - regarding the current pastors IN THOSE churches!
The Galatians no doubt were at a crossroads in their thinking...
And as WE KNOW - a little LEAVEN - does what?
…leavens the whole lump… And LEAVEN can be MANY different things! (false teaching, division)
But why does a LITTLE leaven - leaven the whole lump?
HOW?
DIVISION spreads… False Teaching SPREADS!
False teaching is like - WATER...
Water always seeks to find an OPENING / a CRACK in the foundation!
False teaching will find the CRACKS in our theology - and plant a seed of - DOUBT
So Paul - it seems - wanted to speak into that...
6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.
Many theologians debate WHY Paul went here to this SPECIFIC teaching...
Most feel like it sticks out a bit...
EITHER WAY...
The teaching - WE KNOW - was needed.
It seems possible - that if “DOUBT in the pastors” had crept into the churches...
SUPPORT for the pastors had possibly waned...
And Paul wanted to combat that thinking...
Paul for the past several chapters - HAS BEEN DEFENDING the truth of the gospel…and THEREFORE -
Defending any pastors PREACHING THAT truth!
And so - Paul ALSO wants to reiterate - that if a PASTOR IS teaching the Word of God - that those he TEACHES should respond in a certain way...
SLIDE: Sowing to Teachers: Sowing to Those Who Sow
Sowing to Teachers
Sowing to Teachers
If we go back to our text...
6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.
The basic premise of what Paul is saying is...
If you are being TAUGHT spiritual things...
And therefore - you REAP spiritual things in that relationship..
then you should SHARE all GOOD things with the one teaching you...
And this concept isn’t new to the apostle Paul...
25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints.
26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.
27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.
What’s the background here…?
Paul is making his way to Jerusalem - to drop off a gift for the poor that reside there.
And this gift - is coming from - Gentiles.
So Gentiles in Macedonia and Achaia are SHARING their material blessings with Israel - BECAUSE - Israel had SOWED spiritually INTO Macedonia and Achaia.
And Paul actually says - They were PLEASED to do it - and INDEED they OWE IT to them!
This same concept was brought up in the Corinthian church...
7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?
The implied answers here - are - No one should...
And lest we THINK that this is just MAN’s IDEA....
Man’s way of trying to make a living off preaching the word...
next verse
8 Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same?
This is God’s plan.
God’s plan - that those who TEACH - deserve double honor - as Paul says
17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
11 If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?
This is God’s plan - and Paul needed to REMIND the Galatians OF THIS PLAN!
Maybe some had stopped giving to the church…** (play it out)
Thinking they’d be fine stopping altogether...
Paul addresses this in a clear fashion.
Bringing this concept home to us - HERE TODAY -
We know that this past March - after about 10 years of being bivocational...
I was able to leave my job and devote my full attention to the church!
We had PREACHED on the VISION of the church - what we wanted the church to look like - 5, 10, 20 years from now - and it was decided...
That lining up THAT VISION - with my work schedule...
MADE SENSE....
And so - you’ve all lived this out quite recently in a profound way.
We are called - to SOW to those who SOW…Preachers and Teachers of the Word!
Paul then dives in a bit deeper - to give us a glimpse of what’s HOLDING UP this truth!
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.
a couple things we want to pull from this text....
We see the same 2 entities in play - that we’ve BEEN SEEING from Paul for the past several weeks...
The Spirit and the Flesh...
Let’s dive into each side to get a clearer picture of this...
SLIDE: Sowing to the Flesh: Leads to Reaping From the Flesh
Sowing to the Flesh
Sowing to the Flesh
NOW - this point here on the screen - on it’s own - just reading that - doesn’t SAY MUCH!
My point is - the world would sit here - READ THAT - and think - “Yeah!....isn’t it awesome!!”
The world - PURSUES the WORLD - because the WORLD - LOVES the WORLD!!
NOW - from a BIBLICAL worldview - we look at this and say - YES that’s true… but I want to be DIFFERENT!
If we just look through scripture we can find EXAMPLES of this point being played out...
Let’s go to the beginning...
THE GARDEN
Eve - decides to SOW to the FLESH!
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
She sowed to her flesh!!
She didn’t PUT TO DEATH what was earthly IN her...
She actually BOWED DOWN to what was earthly IN her...
She disobeyed the COMMAND of God in order to SOW to her FLESH!!
Well - what did Adam and Eve REAP for this?
Our text TODAY says…(half verse)
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.
Well they LIVED THAT OUT - did they not?
They REAPED corruption!!
You will REAP what you SOW!
God is FAITHFUL and can be TRUSTED!
How about the Israelites? - coming out of Egypt and heading to Canaan...
God commands Moses to send 12 men to SPY out the land....a LAND that God was GIVING to them!
So they go and spy out the land! - FOR 40 DAYS
Instead of TRUSTING God - and taking the land...
They decide...
31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.”
32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height.
So they DON’T take the land...
LISTEN - because this truth APPLIES to US today… (MAKE the connection!!)
INSTEAD of TRUSTING GOD and DOING the HARD thing - and sowing to the Spirit....
THEY SOWED to the FLESH - and trusted in their FLESH!!
Instead of SOWING to the Spirit - through OBEDIENCE to God...
THEY SOWED to the FLESH - in their DISOBEDIENCE!!
What did they REAP?
20 Then the Lord said, “I have pardoned, according to your word.
21 But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord,
22 none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice,
23 shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.
They REAPED corruption!
For 40 YEARS - they wandered in the wilderness - NEVER to see the promised land...
You will REAP what you SOW!
God is FAITHFUL and can be trusted!! (you will REAP what you SOW)
How about Ananias and Sapphira?
They sold some land - BUT KEPT back a portion of the money for themselves...
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?
They DIDN’T SOW to the Spirit -
You can’t LIE to the Holy Spirit - AND SOW to the Spirit at the same time...
What did they REAP?
5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.
The wife (Sapphira) comes home...
9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”
10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
They REAPED Corruption!!!
They SOWED to their FLESH - and they REAPED corruption!!
God is FAITHFUL - and can be trusted!!
When we SOW to the FLESH - we will REAP FROM the flesh!
It’s like the FOOD that we eat.
If we only SOW to the FATTY, GREASY, GREAT TASTING foods....
We will - REAP what we SOW… PHYSICALLY!
And we understand that!
We can grasp the Physical side of life...
And just like we understand how a HIGH-FAT - HIGH-CALORIE diet can IMPACT our physical bodies...
We also need to know the ULTIMATE consequence to - ONLY SOWING to the Flesh in this life!!
UNBELIEVERS - can ONLY SOW to the Flesh!
That’s ALL they do....is sow to the flesh!
And AS WE KNOW - the best the flesh can DO for them -
is EARN them a place in Hell - apart from God forever.
APART from Jesus Christ - your good deeds are SOWN to the Flesh…and REAP corruption.
6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
Fallen Man’s GOODNESS - in light of God’s Holiness - is GARBAGE!
What does it say...
“ALL of us…WITHER like a leaf....”
If you went outside and stared at a leaf long enough, you could watch it - - DECAY
The flesh - WITHERS away like the flower.
And so Sowing to the Flesh - Leads to Reaping that which DECAYS
BUT the Spirit does not...
SLIDE: Sowing to The Spirit: Leads to Reaping From The Spirit
Sowing to The Spirit
Sowing to The Spirit
Back to our text
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.
Now - this verse HONES in on a SPECIFIC kind of Spiritual Reaping - Eternal Life
But even as WE - as Christians - walk through LIFE - we will have choices to make...
Will I SOW to the Spirit - OR will I SOW to the flesh
If I SOW to the Spirit - I (AS A CHRISTIAN) will REAP Spiritual blessing!
Can we see evidence of this in Scripture?
If we just go back to a couple of the EXAMPLES we looked at earlier - we’ll see the OTHER SIDE of the COIN...
Ananias and Sapphira - remember?
They sold land - but kept some of the proceeds for themselves!
If we go back to Acts chapter 5, and READ UP in the text...
let’s look at how others handled their property - and what they REAPED because of it...
32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
STOP THERE - What is the heart posture of these people?
It says - NO one said that the things they owned - WERE THEIR OWN
So EVERYONE had a mindset - “what I have is NOT MINE...
…it BELONGS to ANOTHER - to God…and He can DO WITH IT…what He wants”
THAT was the heart posture…now what did that REAP for them??
Next verse!
33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
“Great GRACE was upon them all!”
Now don’t MISUNDERSTAND - they DID NOT EARN this grace!
That’s NOT possible!
Grace - by definition - is UNDESERVED!
But - Under the UMBRELLA of Grace - reaping what is sowed - plays out!
How about another EXAMPLE...
Remember those who SPIED out the land of Canaan?
They DIDN’T trust GOD - and therefore they DIDN’T take the land...
RESULT?
God said they would NEVER SEE it!
They wandered in the wilderness for 40 years… 1 year for each day they spied out the land…!
NOW - Question:
There were 12 spies who spied out the land...
DID ALL of them DOUBT God?
30 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”
Caleb - TRUSTED God!
Even in a time when EVERYTHING SEEMED against them!
He trusted God - THAT’S a WAY TO SOW to the Spirit!
Trusting God!
He SOWED to the Spirit (trusting God) - and what did he REAP from that?
Remember - God said the PEOPLE who DESPISED Him would NEVER see the land...
22 none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice,
23 shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.
24 But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.
Sow to the flesh - and from the flesh you will REAP
Sow to The Spirit - and FROM the Spirit you will REAP!
Caleb - trusted God - and REAPED Spiritual blessing ALONG with physical blessing!
God is FAITHFUL and can be trusted!
SO HOW ABOUT YOU?
Where have you been SOWING?
And to answer that question - we really have to ask - Have I been TRUSTING God?
Has God been asking me to do something...
Something that is OUTSIDE my boat...
Something that stretches me…?
Where I LACK trust in God - I SOW to the flesh.
VBS is this week...
Opportunities ABOUND… to step out of our boats.
Listen - VBS is just as much for YOU - as it is for THE KIDS...
And guys - LISTEN - sometimes you just have to say - OK, this doesn’t make sense (FOR ME) - BUT I WILL DO IT - BECAUSE i trust You!
That’s what FAITH looks like
And it’s HARD - It’s SCARY - it’s TERRIFYING...
I GET IT - but even in my own life -
While I knew it was terrifying...
I ALSO KNEW i wasn’t facing execution for what God was calling me to do!
I KNEW - God was calling me to preach - EVEN THOUGH it made NO SENSE!
And it DIDN’T MAKE SENSE - TO ANYBODY
And when things DON’T MAKE SENSE - they’re SCARY...
Really scary...
WHICH can OFTEN - cause us to what?
NOT TRUST in God...
AND NOT obey His call!
And so what does Paul tell us?
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.
What’s Paul telling us here?
He’s saying - as Christians - Don’t stop SOWING to the Spirit
Keep SOWING to the Spirit - EVEN THOUGH it’s HARD...
Why?
Because in DUE TIME - we will REAP!
God is FAITHFUL and can be TRUSTED!
So what PREVENTS us from SOWING to the Spirit?
many things for sure - but a BIG one that prevents us...
SLIDE:
A Heart of Consumerism
This is a heart that ONLY thinks in terms of -
Self-preservation
Remember the the two paths of life that we’ve talked about recently?
The path of Freedom (in faith alone in Christ alone)
The path of Slavery (under the law)
There’s another way to describe this - and it actually boils it all down to ONE PATH - With 2 destinations...
I’d like to read something TO CLOSE- that i wrote a long time ago - and it speaks to this CONSUMERISM that plagues our churches - and always has.
Maybe it plagues you...
What we need to know is it DIRECTLY ties into SOWING and REAPING...
We’ll close with this:
ONE PATH - TWO DESTINATIONS:
When we look at the landscape of Church History, it’s quite clear that over time, man has done his best to remove the hills, straighten the roads, and fill in the valleys that were once apart of that history. Where rolling hills, and lush, dense forests were once the means by which God lead men into a deep experience with Him and His Glory, they are now covered over by hardened black-tops; flattened to make life “easier” for those who travel their way. Over time, the focus of our “Sundays” has become about the preferences of man.
The songs of praise and worship, once lifted up with a blend of man’s voice and creation’s sound under blue skies, has been remixed on the modern sound boards of this day to drown out the genuine heart cries of old, and to amplify the reverb and effects that make for a “stirring” moment.
The beauty of the created sky has been replaced by the cool ambience generated by low-level lighting dancing upon thin layers of white smoke.
Nature’s seating (tree stumps, large stones, the ground itself) has been unanimously overruled for extra-soft chairs covered in spill-proof cloth.
The fountain of living water has been drained, removed, and replaced with the newest Keurig and assortment of blends that usher in true worship.
The desire that Jesus Christ be exalted has morphed into man’s desire to be pleased. So much so that if the latter isn’t happening, then man will uproot themselves and go searching for a place that will accomplish the feat. See man is willing “to go”, but only for what he values.
There is one path in this game, with multiple destinations in play:
ONE PATH: The Path of Preference.
The path of preference is a path that is driven by desire. Every step taken down this path is a step that has answered the call of a desire. Though one path, two destinations are possible: Freedom to Serve, and Freedom from Service.
When our preference is for Jesus Christ to be exalted, we will ignore the sound boards, and listen for a genuine heart cry to the Lord…resulting in a truly “stirring” moment. When our preference is to display Jesus Christ to the world, we will forgo the love affair with our comfort, and instead be so in love with Jesus that we walk as He walked, one sacrificial step at a time. When our preference is to worship the King how He was meant to be worshiped, we will “empty” our hands of our cozy mugs, and ‘out’reach each other in embracing suffering for the sake of His name. When we walk this path of preference, we will find ourselves resting in the Freedom to Serve.
When our preference is for our earthly desires to be gratified, we will get frustrated when our ears aren’t pleased with the audible sounds of worship, and we’ll cry out for the sound board to mute the problem. When our preference is to be comfortable, we will murmur when we are challenged, complain when we are stretched, and protest when we are called out. When we walk this path, we will inevitably end up finding ourselves resting in the Freedom from Service.
Professional consumers. Always consuming. Always taking - never giving.
Desire is the fuel that puts the “go” in our steps. As followers of Christ, we are to love Jesus so much that we find ourselves resting in the Freedom to Serve. And listen to this - The decisions we make will fan the flames of our desires.
Staying in our boats of comfort will FAN the FLAMES of our desire TO STAY in our boats.
Stepping OUT of our boats of comfort will FAN the FLAMES of our desire to STAY OUTSIDE of our boats.
Either we will, with the Spirit’s leading, rest in the Freedom to Serve, or we will rest in the Freedom from Service.
As we walk down the Path of Preference, may our preference birth in us a shining for Jesus, and in so shining, a desire to serve, SOWING to the Spirit who dwells in us.
God is FAITHFUL and can be trusted.
SUMMARY:
Sowing to Teachers: Sowing to Those Who Sow
Sowing to The Flesh: Leads to Reaping From the Flesh
Sowing to The Spirit: Leads to Reaping From The Spirit
A heart of consumerism will prevent us from sowing to the Spirit…and so may the Lord BREAK in us - the chain of consumerism that grows NEW in us EVERY morning - and stronger moment by moment.
May we be SOWERS to the Spirit - and not the flesh!
Let’s pray.