Summary: A short harvest sermon for our older folks service. The natural principles of harvest apply in our lives to give a spiritual harvest of fruit.

The Harvest in our lives

Silver Service 5 Oct 06. Hos 10:12, Gal 5:22-26

Harvest speaks of…..

Our lives!

- the natural speaks of the supernatural… invisible

- there can be a harvest in our lives (of what? I’ll tell you later)

o if we apply the principles seen in the natural world… do the right thins

" ploughing

" sowing

" reaping

What do we plough?

- our hearts

o soften them. Break up the ground. Get it ready

- we do this ourselves

- God helps

o Ezek 36:26 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

o God helps- as you YIELD to Him

Poster: hearts: openness to the Father

What do we sow?

- good things! Sower: "the seed is the word of God" Luke 8:11

- got to fill your heart with the right, good thing

- what is the word of God?

o Message… good news about God and His love

o The good news of Jesus

" Jesus = The Word of God

o It’s a living, active thing! God speaking into your life daily

o = the Bible, as well- because that is primarily how God speaks today

Poster: receive: the word about Jesus

What about watering? Because it takes more than just planting a seed to make it grow. What waters this good stuff and makes it grow?

- the Holy Spirit

o "I planted the seed, but God made it grow" 1 Cor 3:6

o by them yielding to the HS on a daily basis

" (Illlustr: like the signs in Eire- "Yield")

o Constantly yielding

Poster: water: the nurture of the Holy Spirit

The whole thing is living in the Spirit… presence of God… every moment

- I would rather LIVE in the Spirit.. Presence- than be REACTING

o Having to ’dive for shelter’

o Pray emergency prayers all the time…

There is a way to live in the Spirit so you respond- AS Jesus, IN Jesus

- respond as Christ would, to

o pressures

o illness

o fears etc

What do we reap?

- Galatian 6:9 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (then adds: 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.)

- Rightness! The character of Jesus. A character developed by the Holy Spirit

- Poster: the fruit of the Holy Spirit

o (don’t you love the way the agricultural pictures of the Bible fit together!- Harvest and Fruit!)

o love… joy… peace….

May they be your!

- may you respond… look… act… like Jesus

"May the Peace of the Lord Christ go with you…"