Sermon Central
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You Will Reap What You Sow Series
Contributed by Kevin L. Jones on Nov 16, 2014 (message contributor)
Summary: Examining the difference between sowing to the flesh and sowing to the Spirit.
You Will Reap What You Sow
A story is told of two Scotchmen who emigrated to California. They wanted to have in their new home some reminder of their homeland. One took with him a thistle, the national emblem. The other took a swarm of honeybees. Years passed by. Fields for a long distance are cursed with the thistle, which the farmer cannot get rid of. But the forests and fields are laden with the sweetness of honey. Little did those two men think of what would grow out of their selections, either for good or for evil.The seemingly insignificant acts of man mean much to future generations.
Each choice that you make brings with it a consequence. If you make wise, God honoring choices then you will experience positive consequences. If you make sinful, disobedient choices then you will experience negative consequences. The way our selected text puts it... YOU WILL REAP WHAT YOU SOW! - ...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. (Galatians 6:7-8)
Sowing and Reaping has both positive and negative connotations.
If you sow good things, you will reap good things!
If you sow honesty, you will reap trust.
If you sow goodness, you will reap friends.
If you sow humility, you will reap greatness.
If you sow perseverance, you will reap victory.
If you sow consideration, you will reap harmony.
If you sow hard work, you will reap success.
If you sow forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
If you sow openness, you will reap intimacy.
If you sow patience, you will reap improvements.
If you sow faith, you will reap miracles.
If you sow to the Spirit, you will reap life everlasting
On the other hand, if you sow bad things, you will reap bad things.
If you sow dishonesty, you will reap distrust.
If you sow selfishness, you will reap loneliness.
If you sow pride, you will reap destruction.
If you sow jealousy, you will reap trouble.
If you sow laziness, you will reap stagnation.
If you sow bitterness, you will reap isolation.
If you sow greed, you will reap loss.
If you sow gossip, you will reap enemies.
If you sow worries, you will reap wrinkles.
If you sow sin, you will reap guilt. (CONSEQUENCES)
If you sow to the flesh, you will reap corruption
(Source: http://keyisinspiration.wordpress.com/2013/12/14/quote-of-the-day/)
I submit to you that not only do you reap what you sow, YOU WILL REAP MORE THAN YOU SOW! - Take for instance a farmer who plants a kernel of corn. That one kernel has the potential to produce a stalk with several ears that contain many kernels of corn. If the stalk produces 2 ears of Corn that would be approximately 1600 kernels.
With that in mind... it is imperative that we sow the RIGHT SEEDS! I would like to look to these verses this evening and preach on this thought "You Will Reap What You Sow! Let's begin by looking at:
I. The Harvest - v7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
We begin with an important warning... When you live as if your rebellion against God has no consequences you acting in a very foolish manner. Paul says that you cannot mock the justice of God. No one will ever disobey God’s commands and escape divine punishment
He goes on to say "for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."The harvest must be the focus of your mind from the beginning.
Take the local farmer for example: Before the soil is prepared... Before the seed is planted... Before the fields are worked ... he has in mind what it is he needs to harvest. A certain time of year he prepares for a harvest of corn. Another time of year he prepares for a soy bean crop. He plants what he needs and he reaps what he plants.
Friends, we must have our eyes on the harvest. You have heard about those people who "spend their time sowing their wild oats and then pray for crop failure" - Friend, it doesn't work that way!
One of my favorite movies is "Secondhand Lions" with Robert Duvall and Michael Cain. They were two men who had lived lives of danger and adventure. They reached a certain age so they decided they would settle down and do "what old retired folks do". So they planted a garden. They had 12 to 16 rows planted and were expecting green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, lettuce and more. They worked that garden for weeks and one day they noticed that every row was corn. The traveling salesman pulled one over on them!