August 28, 2016
Morning Worship
Text: Genesis 8:22, Luke 5:1-7
Subject: The Seed Principle
Title: Sowing and Reaping at the Right Time
We’ve been talking for a few weeks now about the subject of sowing and reaping… the seed principle. Everything that is or has ever been came into being by this principle. Before God ever created anything there was a seed in His mind as to how it would look and how it would work. The earth, the planets, the solar system, the sun… everything set in its right place and spinning at the right speed and orbiting the sun in the right times…
Before God spoke it into existence it was a seed in His mind. Aren’t you glad that He didn’t stop with just the seed of His thought? He planted the seed and then by His own word harvested the very creation by His word… Eight times in the creation story we see God’s creative seed brought into being by these words, “And God said…”
And everything was perfect! The earth spinning at the right speed so that things didn’t fly off the surface if it were too fast or crushed by the weight of the atmosphere if it were too slow. The earth titled at the right angle so that we have temperatures that sustain life. The earth at the right distance from the sun, the right amount of ozone in the atmosphere to keep harmful rays out but let the life giving rays in… All because God said.
Every one of us here today is the result of seed being planted. Did you have breakfast this morning? It came from seed.
And the whole pattern will continue until everything is destroyed and made new.
Genesis 8:22 (NKJV)
22 "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease."
I believe this is God’s word…
I believe it is for me…
I accept it as mine…
I will appropriate it to my life today…
We believe that this bible that we hold in our hands is the inspired Word of God and that every bit of it is true, and there are promises in here that are ours to have and receive the benefit of is only we can learn to plant a seed of the word by faith and then proceed by walking in faith until we get to a place where we can harvest. Too many people think that if I sow by faith and make a confession in agreement with God’s word that God will bring in the harvest for us. But that’s where we fall short. God brings the increase but we are responsible to bring in the harvest. I wonder how many souls have been lost because Christians have planted seeds and then waited for others to harvest for them.
The very first thing we have to do in the spiritual principle of sowing and reaping is to make sure that the seed we plant is good seed. In Mark chapter 4 we see the parable of the sower or the parable of the seed. Jesus said that this is the granddaddy of all the parables… if you can’t understand this one, then how can you understand any of them?
Now the emphasis of the parable is the sowing. The sowing is your part. In explaining the parable Jesus said this,
Mark 4:14 (NKJV)
14 The sower sows the word.
Luke 8:11 (NKJV)
11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
So as a sower your part is to sow the Word of God… What do I mean by that? It is your responsibility to make your claims to God’s promise by being in agreement with what God’s word says about your situation.
Proverbs 18:21 (NIV2011)
21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
You may not realize it but your speech, the words you say, is a reflection of your faith, or at least a reflection of your understanding of the Word. That is why sowing seed must align with God’s word.
Let me give you and example… some of you have heard this story before but it bears repeating because it gives an example of what can happen when you are not in agreement with the Word of God.
A good friend of ours – a wonderful Christian - used to say this whenever there was a flu bug going around, “ Well, that flu is going around. I guess everybody in our house will get it. We always do.” And there were six of them in the house and guess what; they always did. They ignored what the Word of God says.
Psalm 103:1-5 (NKJV)
1 A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Now understand this. At this time we were fairly new Christians and yet we refused to believe that we were going to get sick and for the most part our family stayed healthy when others were coming down with some sort of virus. At that time we really didn’t understand the seed principle, but we were practicing it and it worked.
Can you see the truth here? You have a choice to make. You can either agree with what God says about your life according to His word or you can agree with what the devil wants for your life. God wants you saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, healed, blessed, delivered and operating in His power and authority… and the devil says you can never be good enough to be saved, the baptism in the Holy Spirit isn’t real, you can never get past this addiction, you’ll always be sick, you’ll never get out of debt and you can’t do anything to prevent it! Whose word are you going to agree with?
Can you see how important it is to sow the right seed?
Now turn over to Luke chapter 5. Here we see Jesus on a preaching tour in Galilee and He goes down to the Sea of Galilee and comes upon a group of fishermen.
Luke 5:1-7 (NKJV)
1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,
2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.
3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
Look at what is going on here. Simon Peter was a fisherman. That’s what he did for a living, and most of the time they fished at night. Actually they were done for the night and were ready to hang it up and go home and get some rest. They were cleaning their nets and repairing them getting ready for the next night’s fishing. And Jesus gets in his boat and says, Simon, put out a little way from the shore so I can speak to the crowd. Speaking from the water would create a natural amphitheatre and the people would be able to hear better.
Peter could have and may have wanted to say, “Well, you know, we’re done fishing and putting things away. We need to go home and get some rest so we can come back tonight and fish some more.” That would be in agreement with what the devil would have for you. With the devil there is always a promise of something better but never any results. Maybe it will be better tomorrow or the next day.
What did Simon do? He did what the Lord told him to do. Is that planting a seed? Is your planting going to be based on what looks right or on what the Word of God says?
Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NKJV)
4 He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap.
I like the way the Easy to Read version says it, Ecclesiastes 11:4 (ETRV)
4 But there are some things that you cannot be sure of. You must take a chance. If you wait for perfect weather, you will never plant your seeds. If you are afraid that every cloud will bring rain, you will never harvest your crops.
4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."
Look at this! Peter the commercial fisherman. This is what he ahs done all his life and must have built a pretty good business. He had business partners. They had more than one boat. They knew how to catch fish, but once and a while you have a bad night and go home empty handed. They didn’t work any less than normal. They just didn’t see any results.
Wouldn’t it have been easy for Peter to say, “I’m the fisherman. He’s just a preacher/carpenter. I know how to fish. He knows how to preach. And he’s telling me what to do? He doesn’t understand that I need to get home and get some rest so I can come back tonight and make a living for my family.”
God just doesn’t understand what I’m going through. If only I could get myself out of debt… if only I could break free of this terrible habit… if only I could see the results ahead of time then I could have faith to be healed, to be filled, to be delivered, to be blessed…
That’s not faith is it?
You must take a chance. If you wait for perfect weather, you will never plant your seeds.
5 But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."
Did Simon just plant a seed of faith? How did he do it? He looked past the circumstance and focused Jesus’ word… nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net…
Here is where a lot of faith people miss it. They get hold of a promise plant a seed of faith believing that the Word of God is true and then they lay on the couch … My God shall supply all my needs… my God shall supply all my needs… my God shall supply all my needs, and meanwhile the Lord is saying, “let down your net…” and they say yes Lord I will… my God shall supply all my needs… my God shall supply all my needs… my God shall supply all my needs… Proverbs 10:4 (NIV2011)
4 Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.
What did Peter do? He not only said he would do it… he did what the Lord told him to do. And did he see a harvest?
6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.
7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
1. A word from the Lord obeyed / a seed planted … He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land…
2. the seed of faith cultivated… nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net
3. the harvest brought in…, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.
Now let’s take it one step further. Sowing and reaping cultivates a pattern in your life so that you can do more, believe more, give more and expect even greater returns on your faith.
Luke 5:8-11 (NKJV)
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"
9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken;
10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men."
11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.
So here is the challenge for you .
1. The seed you sow must line up with God’s word… it may be a seed of faith for healing or provision according to the written word, or it may be a seed of faith in giving or ministry that you have heard from the Holy Spirit…
2. You have to confess in agreement with God’s word that this seed you are planting will result in the promised harvest…
3. Then, when the Lord tells you, whatever He tells you to do, you must be willing to reap the harvest of the seed you have sown…
4. As your faith increases expect the Lord to give you more…
Are you ready? Let’s get to harvesting…
