You Reap What You Sow

gal 6:6-14 you reap what you sow

Last week we camped out in Galatians chapter 6, looking at Paul’s words in regards to the harvest. We considered Paul’s words: a man reaps what he sows and how it had direct meaning and application for Paul’s original audience in the first century.

Paul exhorted the Galatians: do not be deceived by the Judaizers and the seeds that they were sowing, which were seeds of the flesh, seeds of the Law, namely circumcision. They were sowing to please the flesh. They were teaching Law in pursuing their own interests. What were those interests? To avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. As Jesus warned in the SOM, there would be persecution for believers and there was, especially from ethnic Jews, since the message of the cross was an offense to the Jews as it stripped them of identity in circumcision. It said, “Everything you put stock in is about to go down. Your stock market is about to crash.” The OC was a bad investment in the first century. The Judaizers were sowing to please the flesh and from the flesh they would reap destruction because those who belong to the OC were about to be destroyed in the coming judgment at the hands of the Romans in 70 AD.

There was a lot to digest; in fact we took an entire message to unpack the original context and what it meant to Paul’s audience. We didn’t take time to draw out any of the timeless truths in the text and make any personal application. Rather than cramming that into a few minutes at the end of last week’s message, I thought it would be more beneficial to take another message to draw that out; that is what we will be doing this morning.

We are going to focus on one precept in particular. In Galatians 6:7 Paul says a man reaps what he sows.

This is a precept that is true period. In other words, you don’t even have to be a Christian for this principle to ring true in your life. Whether you are a believer or not, you reap what you sow.

While I believe Paul’s usage of that precept had a specific application to the eschatological harvest, it is a precept with a much broader scope of application. We constantly reap. What do we reap? We reap what we sow! Obviously this is metaphorical; we aren’t literally putting literal seeds in literal dirt. But we are constantly putting things in the soil of our mind…and our hearts and our lives…and we are constantly reaping what we sow.

This precept is very dear to my heart. About 3 years into our marriage, Bre and I were having a rough time. So I went to my mentor, Mark Roberts. Some of you know Mark from Teen CBS or Hill Country. Mark is the man who did mine and Bre’s premarital counseling and then performed our wedding. I went to Mark to seek wise counsel, since he is a man whose wisdom and walk I highly respect.

Mark gave me some great words of wisdom and encouragement.

This was what Mark shared with me:

• You reap what you sow.
• You reap more than you sow.
• You reap later than you sow.

You reap WHAT you sow. If farmer Joe sows only seeds of wheat in his field, he cannot expect to reap watermelons or strawberries. Since he only sowed wheat seeds, he will only reap wheat. You reap WHAT you sow.

You reap MORE THAN you sow. For example if farmer Joe plants wheat seeds, heads of wheat will sprout with more wheat seeds on it, some of which will fall to the ground and grow even more wheat than was originally sown.

You reap LATER THAN you sow. If farmer Joe plants wheat seeds this morning, he cannot expect to grind the wheat produced by those seeds this afternoon. It takes time for those seeds to grow. It may take weeks. It may take months. Patience is necessary, because you reap later than you sow, it takes time.

So you reap what you sow, you reap more than you sow and you reap later than you sow.

Mark encouraged me with these fundamental truths, saying sow seeds of love towards Breann. Whether she reciprocates that love or not, love her. Sow seeds of self sacrificial service into the soil of Breann’s heart. Sow seeds of loving words, words of affirmation and appreciation. Sow seeds of quality time and physical touch. Sow seeds of love into Breann’s life. Because you reap what you sow. Sow love and you will reap love.

And be encouraged because you reap more than you sow. Sow seeds of love into Breann’s heart and stalks of love will grow up with more seeds of love that will fall into the soil of her heart and even more stalks of love will grow up. Sow love and you will reap even more love than you have sown.

Finally, be patient. You reap later than you sow. This process takes time. Sow seeds of love into Breann’s heart today, but don’t expect to reap the harvest tonight. You reap later than you sow.

Mark was right. I sowed seeds of love and I reaped more than I sowed and I reaped later than I sowed. Only a handful of people here have known us since then, but they can testify that since 2005 our marriage has grown healthier and healthier and the amount of love that Breann shows me today is exponentially higher than it was then. It is love, it is more love, and it is later. Today, I am reaping love.

So this precept of reaping what you sow is very near and dear to me because I have personal experience that attests to its truth.

That was an example of sowing good seeds and reaping good. Now I’d like to take some time to show how this precept works with regards to sin. You reap what you sow. There is a cause and effect relationship between what you say or think or do and the results of those thoughts, words, and actions.

GANG LIFE

For example, let’s say I decide that my family life is rough and my parents don’t give me love and attention, so I’ll join a gang. They will be my family and give me attention and they will have my back. So I get jumped in and I have their approval. The gang leader orders that I rob the local corner store. Then I graduate to sending a message to a rival gang. Eventually I participate in drive by shootings. If I live the gang life, I will reap destruction from the gang life. I am constantly looking over my shoulder, anxious, sleeping with one eye open, living in fear for my life. In other words, if I live by the gun, chances are, I’ll die by the gun. There is a cause and effect relationship, a man reaps what he sows. If he is sowing gunfire, he will reap gunfire.

I know this is something you all struggle with on the mean streets of Georgetown. It’s a real temptation to live the thug life here in the ghetto of Georgetown.

LET’S TAKE THIS A LITTLE CLOSER TO HOME…

Remember, if we sow to the flesh, and walk in sin, we will reap the consequences of that. Let’s consider the consequences of some of those “little sins” we are all prone to. For example: gossip or slander.

If you gossip about a co-worker or slander them, consider the consequences.

• Hard to look them in the eye. Weird around them. Guilty conscience.
• Anxiety & worry about that person finding out.
• They could find out. That’s a consequence.

But the consequences go beyond that. I work with a guy who goes to lunch with a particular individual regularly. He then comes back from lunch and slanders the guy. This happens regularly. How do you think that makes me feel about spending time with this guy and opening up to him? My thoughts: I will share as little as possible because I don’t want him turning around and saying those kinds of things about me. If we tend to slander we actually hurt our credibility with people and make it difficult for people to want to share their lives with us. They will constantly be wondering what we are saying about them behind their back.

So, while that is kind of a personal, almost selfish reason to avoid slander, there is another more important consequence to consider: It hurts people. The fruit of what you sow, the harvest of that is harm to their character. Is that what we want to reap at harvest time? Harm to our neighbors and broken relationships?

We reap what we sow. Remember, if we sow to the flesh, and walk in sin, we will reap the consequences of that.

Reformed Church in Georgetown Texas. Preterist church in Georgetown Texas. New Covenant Fellowship Church in Georgetown Texas. Pastor David Boone.

Let’s consider another one. FORNICATION. There is a cause and effect relationship there. Consequences include:

• necessity to purchase EPT test and hope to God the result is negative.
• Possible contraction of STD.
• Taints that act reserved for marriage so that when we do get married so that act isn’t as special as it should be.

• The ultimate consequences of fornication include pain & broken relationships.

Let’s consider another: HARBORING BITTERNESS OR UNFORGIVENESS. A wise person once said that harboring bitterness is like drinking poison and hoping the other person will die from it.

• While that person that hurt you has moved on with life, if you are harboring unforgiveness, you are carrying a heavy load around with you.
• You are holding on to the pain and not letting it go.
• The ultimate consequences include pain and broken relationships.

LACK OF INTEGRITY.

Consider the following scenario. You go to work and collect a paycheck for working 40 hours a week, but in reality you aren’t always doing your job, but are surfing the web all day, or you are stealing from your employer. Imagine how you would feel every time your boss calls you into his office.

• Oh, no. You get that sick feeling in your gut, like, I’m caught. If you are stealing or if you are working with a lack of integrity, there is a consequence of anxiety and fear.

• However, if you are doing what you are supposed to be doing at work, if you are doing right, there are benefits, good ones. You are free from that fear and anxiety. Your conscience is clear. You are free.
• You reap what you sow. If you sow bad, you will reap what is bad. If you steal from your employer, you will be walking around with guilt, fear and anxiety. If you get caught you could receive disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. You reap what you sow. The way you live will determine the kind of things that flow out of your life: good things for those who do good. Bad things for those who do bad.

So we have considered the cause and effect relationship that sin has on our lives and how we reap what we sow. Since the fruit of sin is pain, fear, anxiety and broken relationships, and since those aren’t the things we hope to attain in life, we have good reason to avoid sin – the very practical consequences that follow, not to mention the most important which is a break in our fellowship with God.

Thus, the logical exhortation is sow good seeds. Do GOOD!!! Paul, in this very passage tells his original audience, therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the household of believers. I have no exegetical reason to think that such an exhortation should be limited to Paul’s first century audience. I think this exhortation reaches to all believers in all of history. Believers should do good to all, especially to our brothers and sisters. We should sow good seed that we might reap that which is good. You reap what you sow.

Sow sin, reap the consequences, sow good, reap the benefits.

THIS PRECEPT GOES BEYOND SIN REACHING INTO THE PRACTICAL WALK OF DAILY LIFE

There are some things in life that aren’t necessarily sin, but they aren’t necessarily good or beneficial in a practical sense for us.

This is one of those balances we tend to struggle with as Christians. As a youth pastor I used to get all kinds of questions about what was permissible: can Christians drink alcohol? Can Christians date? Hold hands? Smoke hookah? Go to a club? Listen to secular music? Get tattoos? Watch rated R movies? These aren’t bad questions to wrestle with as Christians learn to live in liberty.

After all, we are free from the law, right? So we are not bound by all of those do’s and don’ts. We are free. Everything is permissible, right? Yes, but not everything is beneficial. We reap what we sow. The way we live will have consequences or benefits. The result of our choices may not be beneficial to others, to the church or even to us as individuals. It is worth considering the consequences of our actions. Will this have good consequences? Will this be beneficial? Because we do reap what we sow.

LET’S CONSIDER THIS PRECEPT IN LIGHT OF PRACTICAL DAILY LIFE: HOW WE SPEND OUR TIME, ENERGY, MONEY, AND WHAT WE FEED OURSELVES.

• How we spend our time
  • There is no command in the Bible on how to allocate our time
  • There is a reality that if I put time into something, that something will flourish; I will reap what I sow. Put a little into it, get a little out of it, put a lot into it, get a lot out of it.
    • If I spend quality time with family my family will have higher quality
    • (Ken’s story about hard work).
    • If I spend time in the word (Chris, 28 days).
• How we spend our energies.
  • If we practice guitar, piano, sports (practice makes perfect)
  • If we study, do well on test, get good grades, more importantly, LEARN
  • not if I forsake study to watch tv and play video games (beat high score)
• How we spend our money
  • No command in the bible on how to allocate our money
  • If we spend money we don’t have we will go into debt
    • Reap what you sow
    • If you sow more than you have…
    • Harvest comes and you won’t reap, but will still be sowing
  • If we spend money on energy-efficient appliances we will reap the benefits
• What we feed ourselves. What we put in our minds.
  • MUSIC (no command in bible not to listen to secular music) but if you listen to something, it’s probably catchy – music has that effect – it runs through mind and you assimilate. If you are listening to
    • Worship music
    • Eminem
    • Later, in a conversation with wife, what is ringing in my head? How great thou art or shoving my dead wife in the trunk of a car?
  • MOVIES
    • Free to watch, may even learn lesson as we see the reap what you sow principle play out. Sin leads to pain and broken relationships.
    • However, language, violence, images can desensitize us
    • Some of the poor attitudes and irreverence may rub off on us
  • Literature
    • Time in the word prepares us to have God-centered responses
    • Not me saying you need to be reading your bible more
    • Not me saying you shouldn’t read novels or magazines
    • It IS me saying, you reap what you sow and what you put into the soil of your mind will take root and produce fruit. Consider the kind of fruit you wish to reap at harvest time.
• Health (no biblical commands on what to eat or how much to exercise)
  • Eat unhealthy (you are what you eat)
    • Clogged arteries – heart disease
    • Lack of energy
  • Exercise and eat healthy
    • Healthy circulatory & cardiovascular system
    • Feel good
    • Energy
  • No command in the bible to not smoke. But, if we smoke, end up with black lungs, probably cancer, die.

Again, these things aren’t defined as sin in the Scriptures, but fall into the practical category, and are worthy of consideration…Is this particular action good for the body of Christ? Is it good for my family? For me? Does it bring glory to God?

So, in summary, before we close, we have discussed the precept: you reap what you sow.

I shared with you that not only do

• you reap WHAT you sow
• you reap MORE than you sow and
• you reap LATER than you sow.

I gave an example of how sowing good seeds leads to reaping good fruit at harvest time as I shared my experience of sowing seeds of love in my wife’s life.

We also looked at how sowing seeds of sin leads to reaping of pain, harm and broken relationships, break in fellowship with God.

Finally, we looked at this precept in terms of very practical daily affairs such as how we spend our time, money, energy, what we feed ourselves.

In light of this precept, my exhortation to you is sow that which is good. As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to the household of believers. Do good. Sow seeds of goodness, that at harvest time you might reap peace, joy and healthy relationships. If you sow good, you will be free of shame, free of guilt. You will have a free conscience.

Why do I encourage you in this way? I LOVE YOU want good for you.

In closing, I want to deal with prioritization in light of this precept.

You have a field. That field is limited in size. You may want cantaloupe and watermelons and pumpkins. If you sow half of your field with pumpkin seeds, you are left with half of your field for both cantaloupe and watermelons. If you wanted more watermelons than pumpkins, you’re in trouble because if you are going to sow any cantaloupe at all, you are left with less than half of your field for watermelon. At harvest time, you will reap the most of pumpkins. That shouldn’t surprise you. Since the size of our field is limited, we should carefully plan out how we will sow our seed so that at harvest time we can reap exactly what we want.

Now let’s get practical with this. Just as the size of our field is limited our time and energy and effort is limited. We have to prioritize accordingly. We need to determine what is the most important thing to us and sow the most time, energy and effort into that. For example, in my life, this is a constant struggle. We all have to work and sleep, so that is a given; here I am considering “free time” such as weekends or nights. With a given amount of “free time”, I can either study or do homework, I can do sermon prep, I can spend quality time with my family, I can do ministry related things like counsel, meet with people, reply to emails, answer their texts, working out or playing softball, or leisure like watch a movie/tv.

I have to be very intentional with my time. My field is limited in size and I reap what I sow. If I choose to spend all of my free time doing sermon prep, homework and ministry, what am I not spending any time doing? Spending time with my family, exercising, and leisure. If I only sow into sermon prep and academics, I will preach great sermons and you guys will grow and that’s great, but my family will deteriorate because I am not sowing into them. The last thing I want is at harvest time my fellow farmers to say, man, David has been preaching great sermons. Too bad his family is falling apart.

So I have to prioritize. And I hate that. I just want 30 hours in a day. I want everybody else to get 24, but I want 30. Since God won’t do that for me, I’m stuck with 24. So I have to make hard decisions like: fellas, I won’t be at the men’s ministry meeting on Saturday because I need to spend some quality time with my family and that extra 2 hours on Sat morning will make all of the difference in the world. It means that I may not be as prepared for a test or assignment for school because I have a lot of sermon prep left. It means that I may not be able to work out because I have to study. It means that I can’t be on a softball team right now. It means that I can’t commit to doing concerts with kenosis. It means that if I’m not liking what I’m reaping, I may have to take a semester or 2 off of school.

At harvest time, I don’t want to be frustrated that I sowed too little of the crop I wanted to reap the most of.

I want my reaping to reflect that I sowed the most seeds of family and ministry in that order.

We have to prioritize our lives. We all have our own fields and while we all sow similar seeds: work, family, church, but some of our seeds differ. Some of us sow WOW seeds, some PS3 or Nintendo Wii, some American Idol, racquetball, fantasy football, art, baking, dance, overtime…etc.

We have to sow the field of our life according to our priorities. We need to sow the appropriate seeds based on what we intend to reap. What do you want to reap? Sow the seeds that produce that kind of crop.

Since we desire peace, joy, and healthy relationships with God and man, let us sow accordingly. You reap what you sow.

Reformed Church in Georgetown Texas. Preterist church in Georgetown Texas. New Covenant Fellowship Church in Georgetown Texas. Pastor David Boone.