Sowing & Reaping

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[0:13] 1. Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 2.

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[1:15] 17. 17. 17. 20. 20. 20. 20. 20. 20. 20. 20.

[1:26] 20. 20. day for the future harvest. What will your crop be? Your harvest will correspond with what you are planting. Unbelief will reap a harvest. We read in Proverbs 22, verse 8, it says, He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity. In other words, sin will get you into trouble. That's what it's saying. If we make wise, godly decisions, we can expect God to reward us for our faithfulness. So, friends, we need to plant wisely, plant well. God is not mocked. So, firstly, what? What to sow? Verse 7 tells us God is not mocked. You can't fool God. You can't ignore Him. The sense of it is treat God with contempt. Some do that today. They treat God and His Word with contempt, but they will answer to Him. Friends, if we neglect spiritual truth, if we neglect salvation, if we neglect eternal life, God will not be mocked. He sees us. He sees you. He sees what you are spending time with. He sees what you are investing in. What you are being spent on. What you are sowing. What you are sowing. And you will reap a harvest. It says, Whatsoever a man sower, that shall he also reap. You're going to harvest something. Every one of us will harvest something. And so, it's important for us to sow wisely. To be planting what will be rewarded. And some will sow to the flesh.

[3:14] Some will sow to the works of the flesh. We see that there in Galatians 5 verses 19 through 21. The works of the flesh. The works of the flesh. We could talk about the things of the flesh that can fill our lives. That we can sow to. We can sow to the flesh. For example, we can sow immorality. We can sow hatred. We can sow wrath. Drunkenness. Envy. Strife. Dishonesty. Malice.

[3:49] Heresies. What we sow is going to lead to what we'll have to show for it. What we will reap from it. And for some, it will be an awful harvest. An awful harvest. A harvest of corruption.

[4:03] Corruption. We see there that some, they will reap corruption. Verse 8. Corruption. It's got the sense of rottenness, of ruin, of decay. Now, I don't know about you, but sometimes we forget things in the fridge. Or we forget things in the cupboard. And when you go there, they're growing fur. You know, who's ever had that experience? And something starts to stink.

[4:33] And it starts to go mouldy. It starts to go off. That's the sense of it there. When we sow to the flesh, we're going to reap that corruption, that decay, that ruin, that repulsive, gross and ugly thing that the flesh can be. It's a harvest that you will reap. It's been said that sin will take you further than you want to go. It will cost you more than you want to pay. And it will keep you longer there than you want to stay. Sow to the flesh and you will reap corruption as a fruit that stinks and is mouldy and repulsive and going off. That is what you will have to sow if you're going to sow to the flesh. What will you sow? What will you sow? There's really those two choices. Ultimately, to the flesh or to the spirit. And you're making that choice day by day, every day. What are you going to use that most precious commodity of your life to do? The most precious commodity of our lives is our time. Sowing and reaping. We're talking about an investment strategy. I know we're all investing in material ways too. I know I look at the balance of my superannuation account.

[5:42] And I see how much I'm losing. You're investing. And some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some times some you're putting your resources into things that will not reap the harvest. They will not show much for it.

[6:22] And we're all interested in that return on investment. Young people, as you go and study, you're investing in a career. You're investing in a future job that you'll take. There's a return on that investment. There's a return on that study.

[6:38] There's some older people here studying. There'll be a return on that investment, brother. As you study, God will bring a result. As you invest your life to ideally study that which is going to benefit you, so that you can be an ambassador for God's kingdom in that workplace, in that mission field that he'll send you to. I know there's some young people who are praying about their future.

[7:05] Maybe they will be in some future mission field. We can invest even in secular ways in what we learn, in what we study, so that we can be of use for the kingdom of God. There's a return on the investment.

[7:21] What you sow, you will reap. Whether to the flesh, corruption. Whether to the spirit, life eternal. We're talking about who we give our time, our energy to. What we give our time, our energy to.

[7:39] There will be a return on your investment. On your investment. In Proverbs 13 verse 20 it says, He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

[7:57] In 1 Corinthians 15 verse 33 it says, Be not deceived. Evil communications or company will corrupt good manners. It's got the sense of who you hang around with will have that effect, will have that influence, there will be a result. We see that today. When we choose that company that is evil, it will produce a corrupting, a corruption. There's that word again.

[8:29] That result will be a corrupting of that which is good. And so young people, older people, choose wisely. Choose wisely. Who you invest your time with. Do you walk with the godless?

[8:42] It will affect you. There will be a return on that investment. There will be a reaping for that which we will do. And so we need to be wise. In 2 Peter 1 verse 4 it talks of the corruption that is in the world through lust.

[8:58] This world is a rotten apple. In many ways there's that corrupting influence. And it's got that sense, as you could imagine, of a basket full of apples and there's one rotten one in there.

[9:14] It's not long before there's a corruption that spreads. Will you reap corruption? Friends, be wise. Be careful that you sow wisely.

[9:25] Make your life count. What will you sow into your life? We can sow to the Spirit. Sow to the Spirit. In Hosea 10 verse 12 it says, Sow to yourselves in righteousness.

[9:41] Reap in mercy. Break up your fallow ground. For it is time to seek the Lord till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

[9:53] Hosea says, sow to yourselves in righteousness. There's a command there. That we sow that which is righteousness into our lives.

[10:04] Will you invest your life by sowing to the Spirit? How could we understand that? It means investing your life in spiritual truth, in spiritual fellowship, in spiritual realities, in spiritual learnings.

[10:21] The Word of God is spoken to us as a seed that is planted. Think of how you can sow to the Spirit by planting that seed of the Word of God in your life.

[10:33] Plant that seed, that incorruptible seed, that is the Word of God. As you speak it, as you learn it, as you memorize it, as you meditate on it, as you pass it on.

[10:48] The Word of God is a seed, a living seed that can be planted and nurtured in your life. Sow to the Spirit. You will yield then the fruit of the Spirit.

[11:02] We see the fruit spoken of in Galatians 5. Again, from verse 22. The fruit of the Spirit. We see there love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

[11:22] There's an abundant harvest as you sow to the Spirit. As the farmer goes out and sows, there will be a return. There will be a reaping.

[11:33] Sow to the Spirit. Let the Spirit be that which we want to invest our lives in. The Spirit of God. God's Word. God's Spirit. So how do we do this?

[11:45] How can we do this that we're speaking of today? How can we sow to the Spirit? In other words, do what pleases God. Do what pleases Him.

[11:57] Do God's will. Sow seeds of love, of patience, of kindness, of truth to others. In the context we read, it says, We are called to do good unto all men.

[12:12] There's a sense where you are distributing a harvest. You're sowing into the lives of other people. As we're investing in and spending time with others, we're investing in their lives.

[12:28] And invest in your own spiritual life. If you feed the fleshly life, it will grow stronger. If you feed the spiritual life, it will grow stronger.

[12:40] Which one will you sow to? To the flesh or to the Spirit? Every day we're making that decision. Every day, moment by moment.

[12:51] Choose to sow to the Spirit. How will we sow to the Spirit? When we can fellowship, we will. We will choose to fellowship.

[13:02] We will choose to sow to the Spirit. We will be where the Word is. Where that living seed, the Word of God is. We will be where we can grow as a Christian.

[13:15] We will sow to the Spirit. We will be led by the Spirit. We will walk in the Spirit. And we'll see that return. We'll see that harvest of the fruit of the Spirit.

[13:26] How do we sow to the Spirit? As we seek to know the mind of God. As we follow the Word of God. As we're led by the Spirit of God. As we are in prayer, we will sow to the Spirit.

[13:39] And we'll grow stronger. We'll grow stronger as we sow to the Spirit. In those daily decisions of life. And God wants us to abound to every good work.

[13:51] So don't hold back the sowing. Find the opportunity to sow. In 2 Corinthians 9 verses 6. It talks about the sowing. And the extent of the sowing.

[14:04] The extent of the sowing. Will dictate the extent of the reaping. In 2 Corinthians 9 verse 6 it says. But this I say. He which soweth sparingly.

[14:15] Shall reap also sparingly. And he which soweth bountifully. Shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposed within his heart.

[14:27] So let him give. Not grudgingly. Or of necessity. For God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you.

[14:39] That he always having all sufficiency in all things. May abound to every good work. So there's a sense in our giving.

[14:50] And we're not talking just material means. But the giving of ourselves. Of that surrendering. Of that giving of ourselves as a living sacrifice. Of that time that we will invest in the kingdom of God.

[15:05] You know it's reminded me of this song. Take time. Take time. To be holy. To be holy. Speak oft. With thy Lord.

[15:17] Abide in him always. And feed on his word. Make friends of God's children. Help those who are weak. Forgetting in nothing his blessing.

[15:28] To seek. Take time. Take time. To be holy. To be holy. The world rushes on. Take time. To be holy.

[15:39] Be calm. In thy soul. Each thought and each motive beneath his control. Friends there's so much that we can do with our time.

[15:50] And we can invest that material side of ourselves. That substance that is our life. We can invest it wisely or unwisely.

[16:02] So in giving we are sowing. Don't be grudging. Be generous. Be generous. Use your time generously for the kingdom of God. Use your resources generously for the kingdom of God.

[16:16] Be wholehearted. Don't be grudging. Don't be a stingy giver in the giving of yourself. But be a generous giver in that sowing of your life.

[16:29] Sow into the kingdom. Sow to the spirit. Be wholehearted. Be diligent. Be bountiful. Let us spend and be spent. For what counts.

[16:40] For what matters. In Psalm 126 verse 6 it says, We are a witness of some continuously going forth. Weeping. Bearing. Precious seed for sowing.

[16:52] In our witnessing. Let's sow bountifully. Let's take opportunities for the kingdom of God. To sow to the spirit. There's tracts. There's tracts.

[17:03] That can be, as it were, a picture of that sower who went forth to sow the word of God. You can do that by tracts. You can give them out. You can give them out in your personal witnessing.

[17:15] Sow bountifully. And you will reap bountifully. It reminds me of an older man that I knew.

[17:26] He's passed away now. He used to spend so much of his time in creating tracts. He would laboriously photocopy them at great expense.

[17:38] He was in a, one of those wheelie chair things. Those electric chair type wheelie things. We're not sure what they're called. A gopher.

[17:49] A gopher, yeah. He used to get in his gopher and he used to drive down to their photocopying place and he would photocopy the tracts. Much of the tracts that we have are in fact those that he painstakingly photocopied.

[18:02] He invested his own money into printing tracts. And then he would guillotine them with loving care. And then he would go on that gopher and letterbox all around his local neighborhood.

[18:17] He sowed bountifully. And now I believe he's reaping bountifully. There's a reaping. There's a reward. There's a harvest. And we're still getting folk contacting us from some of those tracts that he gave out.

[18:31] Just only the last couple of weeks I met up with a man who received one of his tracts. That he put in a letterbox even in his condition riding a gopher.

[18:45] Friends, there's much that we can do for the kingdom of God. Let's be wholehearted about it. Let's sow bountifully. Let's bear that precious seed. Even weeping. Even in the discomfort that that man would have had.

[18:58] In the pain of his body as he wasn't a well man. We can be a witness for Christ. Sowing to the Spirit. And we shall doubtless come again rejoicing. Hallelujah. Rejoicing.

[19:09] The fruit of the righteous is as a tree of life. And he that winneth souls is wise. Proverbs 11 verse 30. Sow for souls. Sow to the Spirit.

[19:21] Do you want to grow in spiritual maturity? Then sow to the Spirit. What to sow? Sow to the Spirit. Not to the flesh. Sow how?

[19:32] Sow to sow. Live to please the Lord. Feed your spiritual life. And then when to sow. When to sow. Let us not be weary in well-doing.

[19:46] Let us not be weary in well-doing. It's talking about a consistency of our life. For in due season we shall reign if we faint not.

[19:57] The sense of it here is the long haul. We are not here for the short run. We are here for the long run. For the long haul.

[20:08] That every day as we sow, we've got to keep at it. It's got a continuous aspect. There's not a letting up here. It's about the long haul.

[20:19] It's been said a fruitful harvest requires faithful service. A fruitful harvest requires faithful service. You know, the farmer doesn't go out one day and sow that seed on the ground.

[20:32] And then a couple of minutes later, whoosh, it's all grown and there's a harvest. He's got to sow and he's got to wait. He's got to be patient. He's got to sow and keep on sowing.

[20:44] It takes a while for that crop to spring up. For the harvest to show. It's like that for you too, brothers and sisters. For your Christian life.

[20:55] It's the long run. It's the long run. It's that faithfulness. It's that day by day walk. It's that walking in the Spirit. It's taking a while for that crop to spring up.

[21:08] But be faithful. Keep on sowing. There will be a result for your labour, of your planting. And so the word is here. Don't faint. Don't faint. Don't grow weary.

[21:19] Don't give up. Don't be discouraged. You know, we can all get tired. We can all feel a bit tired. And maybe we need to do some more of that relaxing. But, you know, there's a sense where we don't give up.

[21:31] We don't let up. Now we might take a breather now and again. But we've got to keep on. Keep on ploughing. Keep on planting. And then we'll see the reaping. Keep sowing that righteousness.

[21:43] No matter what the difficulties of our life. No matter what the setbacks that come. Sow to the Spirit. Sow and keep on sowing. Don't give up. Don't let up. One thing's for sure.

[21:55] There will be a time of reaping. Your life will yield something. That which you have sown in your life will be shown in eternity. There will be something to show for it.

[22:07] So don't slow. Don't slacken. Don't faint. It takes time to see the fruit, the results. Keep sowing till it's season to reap. Your harvest is sure.

[22:18] And it will correspond to what you have sown. It will spring up from what you are planting now. Now, just to interject here. We're not talking about you're saved by works.

[22:31] We're not saying that today at all. That's right. You're saved only by the blood. Only by the blood. Only by His grace. Only by that faith that springs up in your heart.

[22:42] By His wondrous working. By His calling. By His drawing. By His absolute final finished work.

[22:53] That is your only hope. No. As a Christian. You're saved. For time and eternity.

[23:06] But there will be a rewarding time. A rewarding time. And we read of that there. Around the judgment seat of Christ. And some will just have wood, hay and stubble.

[23:21] It will be burnt up. Their works will have nothing to show for them. Some will have gold, silver, precious stones. There will be something to show. So it's important as a Christian that you are encouraged to sow to the Spirit.

[23:39] Don't just settle for sitting in the glory train and just enjoying the ride. Right. Be about the kingdom's business. Be about the king's business. Be about that sowing to the Spirit.

[23:51] Don't let up. Don't neglect. Don't be slagged. But sow. Sow and keep on sowing. And even when you feel like you're weary.

[24:03] Even when you feel like you're fainting. When harvest time comes, there will be something to show for that labour. There will be something to show for that lifetime of investing. Some will reap nothing but corruption.

[24:16] But we will reap eternal life. When it comes to that measure of the quality of life. You know there's a kind of terminology the world uses of quality of life.

[24:27] We want people to have a good quality of life. You know even in aged care homes. We want people to have a fulfilling time even as they're in that nursing home. That there will be a quality of life for those people.

[24:39] For people who have disabilities. That there will be a quality of life for them. So that they'll be cared for and looked after. And as much as we can. The people who look after them will see that they have a quality to their lives.

[24:53] Quality of life. The best quality of life you can have is eternal life. Amen. That is the best quality of life that any one of us can ever have. Is eternal life.

[25:05] And if you sow to the Spirit, you're going to reap. You're going to reap eternal life. As you trust Him. As you follow Him. As you are His. There will be that opportunity to sow to the Spirit.

[25:17] And in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Let me read a couple of closing stories here. As an encouragement to you. If you're feeling faint.

[25:29] You know, I had occasion to feel faint. I've had occasion to feel faint in my life. I know. Usually when I'm around my wife and she's about to have an operation.

[25:41] And I feel faint. You know. I feel worse than she does I think. Sometimes. When I visit these couple of people in hospital lately. And they're both of them getting blood taken out of them.

[25:52] And I just look away. Because if I look at what's going on, I feel faint. I'm pretty faint hearted. I'm pretty weak in that regard. I've got a, I've got a, I'm scared of needles.

[26:05] So, I thank the Lord that I've not had to have too many needles in my life. But, you know, we can feel faint. We can feel faint in the work of God. You can feel faint in your spiritual life.

[26:17] You can feel faint in that Christian life that you want to live for Him. And sometimes you will falter. You'll slip, you'll slide, you'll fall on your face. But He lifts us up.

[26:28] Amen. Faint not. Faint not, brother. Faint not. Don't be disheartened. Don't be discouraged. Here's a couple of stories to enhearten you today.

[26:39] If you're feeling weary. I read this story about a pastor of a small church in rural Scotland. And he was forced out of this church by the elders.

[26:50] They claimed there was no threat from his ministry. So, they gave him the sack. The village was a difficult place to serve. And the people's hearts were cold. And they were hostile to the truth.

[27:02] And during the time this pastor served, there wasn't much to show for it. There wasn't too many getting saved. He only recalled about one positive response to his preaching.

[27:13] It was one day this pastor was preaching. And it was the offering time. And as the offering plate was passed through the service, a young boy placed the plate onto the floor, stood up and stepped into it.

[27:26] And the people wondered, what on earth is this lad doing? And then the boy explained, he said, he'd been deeply moved by the minister's life.

[27:37] While he had no money to give, he wanted to give himself wholly to God. So, these boys stepped into the offering plate. His name was Bobby Moffat.

[27:49] Robert Moffat. In 1817, he was a pioneer missionary to Africa. Robert Moffat. He was greatly used of God to touch the many lives of many people.

[28:01] And that small church and that faithful work of that unappreciated pastor was where it all started. This pastor who felt weary. This pastor who felt discouraged.

[28:12] And perhaps that can be true for you too. When it seems like there's no fruit for that which you're doing. When you're giving out tracts galore. When you're talking to people. When you're living the Christian life as wholeheartedly as you can.

[28:25] When you're investing your energies into the kingdom of God. Sometimes you'll feel faint and weary. Yet God will strengthen you. God will have his way.

[28:36] God will produce a harvest beyond what you can imagine. Do not give up. And then another glimpse of this same man, Robert Moffat. Robert Moffat, after many years in South Africa.

[28:50] He returned to Scotland to come to his native land and recruit some more helpers for the mission front. And when he arrived in Scotland, it was a cold, wintry night.

[29:02] And he was dismayed that only a few people showed up to hear him. And he was even more bothered because the only people who were there, it seemed, were ladies.

[29:16] And the text that he had chosen was specifically to challenge men. It was Proverbs 8 verse 4. So Robert was feeling a bit disheartened that it looked like it was really just ladies there.

[29:34] Because his concern was that they would not be up to the rigorous life of going to the jungles. Those undeveloped jungles. But in his discouragement, he almost failed to notice one small boy in the loft of that church pumping the organ.

[29:50] You know, they didn't have the luxury of electricity then. They pumped the organ to make it sound. And this little boy, that was his job. And Moffat, the preacher, he felt frustrated as he gave the message.

[30:03] But God works in mysterious ways. Although no one volunteered to go to the mission field that night, the young fellow who was helping the organist was deeply moved by the message, by the challenge.

[30:20] And as a result, he promised God he would follow in the footsteps of this pioneer missionary. And he remained true to his vow. When he grew up, he went and ministered to the unwreached tribes of Africa.

[30:34] His name was David Livingstone. Moffat never ceased to wonder that his appeal, which he had intended for men, had stirred that young boy who eventually became a mighty power for God.

[30:51] Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

[31:02] For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. Urgh! But he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

[31:17] And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

[31:36] You are sowing a crop. It's going to take time for that harvest to sow. But friends, do not be discouraged. Do not faint. Do not be disheartened. Do not be deterred.

[31:47] Keep on sowing. Sow to the Spirit, not to the flesh. Let us pray. Let us pray. Let us pray. Let us pray. Let us pray. Let us pray.

[31:58] Let us pray. Let us pray. Let us pray.