Sowing and reaping

Let's open our Bibles to the gospel of Matthew chapter 13 Matthew chapter 13 And just for a few minutes this afternoon, I would like to consider with you the the subject of sowing and reaping and perhaps that will Follow a little of what we've been hearing already Here in Matthew chapter 13. We have the Lord Jesus and And it says in verse 3 that he spake many things unto them in parables saying behold a sower Went forth to sow and when he had sowed some seeds fell by the wayside verse 5 some fell upon stony places Verse 7 and some fell among thorns verse 8 But other fell into good ground and brought forth fruit some a hundred fold Some 60 fold some 30 fold who with ears to hear Let him hear come down to verse 23 but he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word and understands it which also bears fruit and brings forth some a hundred fold some 60 some 30 Let's go over to 2nd Corinthians, please chapter 9 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 6 Again we're considering that the subject of sowing and reaping 2nd Corinthians 9 and 6 Paul writes but this I say He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also Bountifully come down to verse 9 as it is written. He hath dispersed abroad.

He hath given to the poor His righteousness remaineth forever now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food and multiply your seed sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness being enriched in everything to our Bountifulness which causes through us Thanksgiving to God now one more reading in Galatians chapter 6 and verse 7 Again Paul is writing Galatians 6 and verse 7 Paul writes Be not deceived God is not mocked For 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 and Let us not be weary in well-doing for in due season We shall reap if we faint Not that's all we're going to read and we trust that God will give help as we consider the subject of sowing and reaping together I've read here in Matthew chapter 13 just as an introduction to the subject Because here we have the Lord Jesus and he's the sower And he's sowing the seed speaking to us of the Word of God and and we had the four different types of soils And I'm interested in the the last type of soil the good ground that ground that brought forth fruit and You'll notice when it comes to the good ground that one. Here's the word They receive it. They understand it and not only that they obey it and That has been stressed already at this conference the need not just to hear the Word of God But to obey it to apply it in our lives James tells us be not hearers of the word only but be doers of the word Today we are hearing Good ministry, are we going to apply it? That's the question But when it comes to the fruit there in Matthew chapter 13, perhaps the fruit is Christian character, it's Christ likeness Maybe it's the fruit of the Spirit No doubt when we come to this passage here the Lord Jesus as we're going to notice He's trying to create a vision for his disciples in relation to souls But when it comes to the subject of sowing and reaping I Want us to all realize this that we all are sowers and each and every one of us we are going to reap And so there's six maybe seven principles that I want to notice with you in the next few minutes in relation to sowing and reaping Now we're going to use the example of a farmer now, I realize that I'm in farming community community and I'm not a farmer.

I was raised on a farm. We moved to the city when I was about 10 years old So I know a little bit about farming but here we are going to use the example when it comes to these principles We're going to use the example the farmer and the seed that he sows or she sows whatever the case might be Now when it comes to the first principle, I want you to think of the the principle of investment When it comes to sowing and reaping it's the thought of investment It's like the farmer that in the springtime. He goes out and he purchases the seed There's cost involved and then he's going to go out into the field and he's going to invest that seed into the ground and he's Expecting a harvest in the fall.

See there's a purpose And what he is doing and what the farmer is doing and there should be a purpose in our lives Not only that the farmer is expecting a greater return The farmer is expecting a return in investment a greater return in investment when it comes to the crop Again we come to Matthew chapter 13 and that's really the idea That the Lord Jesus he's trying to tell his disciples I want you to invest I want you to invest in souls I want you to invest your lives and I'm looking for a return on investment That's what we have here in the passage a hundredfold 10,000 percent return sixty fold six thousand percent return thirty fold equals 3,000 percent return We could go to Matthew chapter 25 and and we learned the story there about the man And he had servants and he gave the one five and he gave the other two and he gave the other one and then he went off into a far country and Then the the Lord the master of the house he returns and and the one that was given five he returned ten The one that was given to he returned four And when it comes to these two individuals they were told well done thou good and faithful servant But when it comes to the one who had received one talent, what did he do? He dug a hole in the ground And when the master returned he just simply went back to that spot and he dug it up again And he returned that one talent to his master And what did his master say? The least you could have done was put the money into the bank and Gained interest See we learned from these passages that that God is Invested has invested in us. He's given a son He has saved our precious souls and now he wants us to invest in him and the things of God everything that we have Everything that we have been given belongs to God. Do we understand that today? The car that I drive the house that I live in Whatever it is that you and I might have it all belongs to God And God wants us to use these things now for him He wants us to invest these things into his kingdom for his eternal purposes But the question is today.

What are we to invest and the question is today? Where are we investing? Well, I've already mentioned that we need to invest our lives we need to invest our time we need to invest our our talents Yes, we need to invest our treasures in the things of God how many of us today are Investing in the world how many of us today are investing in things that are temporal? Oh Might we get I are I on the eternal perspective of our lives? Might we be living in light of eternity? Might we realize this first principle the principle of investment we need to invest in the things of God I Could say much more about that, but I want to move on to my second point The second principle is the principle of identity or kind the principle of identity or kind when the farmer plants a kernel of corn into the ground What does he expect to grow what does he expect to harvest Corn. Well, you know that same thought is in Galatians chapter 6 verse 7. It says don't be deceived God is not mocked for whatever a man sows. He will also reap Again, we come into the passage and he talks about the flesh He says if you are going to slow so to the flesh you're going to reap of the flesh He says if you are going to sow in the spirit or to the spirit you are going to reap of the spirit and we go back into John our Galatians chapter 5 And we learn about the works of the flesh And we learn about the fruit of the spirit Even in relation to the subject that we've been just reminded of from Romans chapter 14 Am I showing to the flesh? When people don't agree with me Wanting my own way If I'm gonna sow disunity I'm gonna reap disunity But if I'm going to sow love The principle is this I'm gonna reap love You know, we have to ask ourselves sometimes am I really investing my life? In am I investing what God has given me into that which is eternal the things of God Might we be reminded that What I so as to the kind That which that's what I'm gonna reap the same kind That's not only true in my personal life, but that's true in the local assembly.

What am I sewing into the assembly? What is being reaped as a result of my sewing the third principle? I want you to notice is the principle of increase or multiplying Again we have the farmer and he plants one kernel of corn into the ground. What does he expect a cob? He expects more of the same kind not just the same kind but more of the same kind and Again, that principle is found in the Word of God We see that when it comes to the parable that we've read there in Matthew chapter 13 We see that again in 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 in verse 10 He says he will multiply your seed sown and increase the harvest So it's not just a matter of now reaping the same kind, but it's the idea of reaping more of the same kind So if I'm going to reap to the flesh Am I if I am going to reap disunity? I am not only just going to or so disunity I'm not just going to reap disunity, but I'm going to reap far more disunity. You see it.

It's going to increase But if I so love if I so joy if I so peace Not only am I going to reap those things but I'm gonna reap more more of those things you know as I was thinking of this and In relation to investing in the things of God one has said that God's shovel is bigger than yours. I like that You know, sometimes we think we have so little to offer What might we learn from that story about that that little boy you had two little fishes and five loaves of bread What did what did God what did the Lord Jesus do with that? He fed a multitude You know, there's young people here today and I want to encourage you you might think you know, I don't have much Maybe I don't have much ability. Maybe I don't have Much money or treasure maybe maybe I don't have a lot of time But you invest what you can and see what God can do with it That's the idea So we have the principle of investment we have the principle of identity or kind We have the principle of increase or multiplying But fourthly I want you to notice with me the principle of proportion Again as I think of the farmer I think of how the amount harvested reflects The amount sown or the size of the field if you're only gonna sow a few seeds You're only you're gonna reap only a few cobs But the more you sow The more you're going to reap that the bigger the field You know some farmers.

They just have a small little plot and there's other farmers. They have I Was speaking to someone and they're farming something like 30,000 acres That's a big field But the idea is this when it comes to this principle of proportion What is reaped? Reflects what is sown remember 2nd Corinthians 9 and 6 Remember this the person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and the person who sows Generously will also reap generously You know very practically as I was thinking of this I was thinking of that old saying what you put into it Is what you get out of it? You know we can apply that To a number of different areas in our lives individually What are you putting into your Christian walk? What are you putting into your? Christian life what you put into it is what you're gonna get out of it You know, I hear some people saying well, you know, I'm not growing as a Christian And you soon find out why they're not reading their Bible. They're not praying there.

They have no interest in the things of God What you put into it Is what you're gonna get out of it That's true when it comes to our families, you know, I often pray for young couples that are raising children Your children are an investment You invest in the family brother. Don't put work before the family Too many have made that mistake and they've lost their children and dear sister You find yourself in the home raising your children for God. I say this God bless you When the greatest works, it's an investment What are we putting into our families? Are we neglecting our families? I dare say many are What about the local assembly what am I putting into the assembly? Sometimes I hear people say well, you know, the Bible reading is boring.

Well, sometimes it is What are you putting into it Have you even read the chapter? Have you come with an exercise to pray? Have you come with a question? Have you come with with this desire to participate? What are you putting into it? What about relationships like family already mentioned friends and what about the lost? What you put into it That's what you're gonna get out of it. You know a number of years ago Well, actually it wasn't a number of years ago was just last year. I Visited a young couple And about four years ago this young couple was in assembly fellowship and This young couple was was going on for the Lord.

They were bubbly you could tell that they were enjoying the Lord Wonderful thing to see but in the last year we haven't seen him So I went to pay him a visit they just moved into a new house and I did some investigating and I found out where they lived and I went to visit him And I sat down in their living room And I reminded this young couple Of what they were four years ago And I said to that young couple four years ago. You were in happy fellowship in the local assembly It seems as if you were enjoying the Lord. I Says on a scale of one to ten How do you feel that you are doing as a Christian at that time and they both answered individually But they were they were genuine and they both said about seven Seven out of ten, you know, that's the average.

I Think most of us here today in this auditorium were we're seven-point Christians for average They weren't trying to put themselves on a pedestal and thinking that they were super spiritual and yet they they weren't going to say well You know, I'm way down in the dumps. No, they were doing well as a Christian and then I asked him another question I says well, what about now? On that same scale of one to ten I Says where are you now? They were quiet for a few minutes they looked at one another and Then the man said I'm but I'm one one out of ten and his wife said the same she says I'm about one out of ten You know, they were honest Because that's where they were spiritually speaking. You might say one out of ten and then I asked him why what happened? And again, they they said well, you know, I we're not reading our Bibles.

We're not praying We're not enjoying fellowship with the other Christians Is that you today perhaps? Is there a time in our experience when we were maybe zealous on fire for God, but we're not that way anymore We're we're kind of drifting away Well when it comes to this principle of proportion what you put into your Christianity is what you're gonna get out of it There's a lot of truth to that, you know the fifth principle I want you to notice with me is the the principle of interval of time or waiting again the the farmer He plants in the spring and and he waits till the fall to harvest and he's waiting on God He's waiting for the Sun. He's waiting for the heat units. He's waiting for the rain You never see a farmer going out with a planter in the morning and then taking the harvester in the afternoon You know what's true of the farmer is true of you and I are in our spiritual experience There's a time of waiting And it's the idea of waiting on God Remember Galatians 6 and 9 for we will reap and do season or at the proper time See when it comes to the things of God, it's it's God's time.

It's time sensitive. There's times in your experience There's times in my experience when we have to simply wait And that can be hard to do Waiting on God Especially in the day in which we live You know, we're living in a world that wants instant Gratification instant results and If they don't come quickly Something must be wrong It's not working. Let's try something else Now I'm not against trying something else But when it comes to this principle of time Or interval we have to be careful that we don't take the attitude of the world Putting the seed into the ground in the morning Wondering or wanting a harvest in the afternoon.

It's not going to work that way. We need to wait on God again Second Corinthians 9 and 8 says God is able we need to look to God We're living in a day where we're looking to the methods of men rather than looking to God Even when it comes to the preaching of the gospel Keep at it Keep passing out those tracks Keep speaking to those individuals at school or at work, whatever the case may be And in God's time as we look to God There is going to be a time a time of reaping But it's time sensitive It's God's timing the sixth principle. I want to notice with you is The principle of of harvest or reaping itself Again I want you to think about the farmer.

There's always going to be a harvest of some kind sometimes you hear about a good crop and Sometimes you hear about a bad crop Sometimes you hear no crop Back home. We have crop insurance there's always going to be a harvest of some kind and And that's true when it comes to spiritual things as well again Galatians 6 and 9 says and let us not be weary and well-doing for in due season we shall reap If we faint not If we don't get discouraged There's going to be a time of reaping We might not see it here now It might be at the judgment seat of Christ as we've been hearing And we're gonna stand before the Lord Jesus in the coming day and we are going to receive see the results of our sowing We are going to see the results of our labors We shall reap There's going to be Not only a time of sowing but there's going to be a time of reaping Again 2nd Corinthians 9 and 9 says his righteousness remains or it endures Forever Galatians 6 and 8 talks about life everlasting. I want to encourage you and I today To go in for things with with eternal value and maybe you've been Working with those Sunday school kids That live off in that that Housing low-income housing project there just across town Keep at it We shall reap If we faint not Maybe you've passed out tracks.

Maybe you've had a booth at the market And you've been passing out Bible literature Bible texts You know back home for about 10 years We had a booth at a farmer's market We were there every Wednesday every Wednesday so that's 52 Wednesdays each year For 10 years, that's about 500 Wednesdays And there's were times I have to admit along with others that helped at the booth We were wondering is there any value to this? It seems like we're doing all kinds of sowing but very little reaping But then one day a man came along And he had a little fridge magnet in his hand John 3 16 He says to me he says do you remember me? I said no, I don't I see so many people I don't remember you He says well about two years ago. He says I came I came by your booth and I stopped and you talked to me And you gave me this little fridge magnet John 3 16 My name was on the back of it He says, you know as I when I received that that John 3 16 magnet He says I took it home and I put it on my fridge. I says that's a good place to put it And he says every morning when I went to get cream for my coffee He says I read that verse John 3 16 for God So loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life He says, you know He says God brought different Christians into my life and as a result He says I got saved about a half about six months ago half a year ago And he says you know what? He says it all started with this seed a fridge magnet John 3 16 I want to tell you that did my heart good to hear that Brothers and sisters whether it's a Sunday school work whether it's passing out tracks Whatever it is trying to speak to people at school What does it say and let us not be weary and well-doing for in due season.

We shall reap if we faint Not as I close. I just want you to think of one more thing Not only do we have the the principle of investment the principle of identity or kind The principle of increase or multiplying the principle of proportion the principle of interval or time the principle of harvest or reaping itself there is one more and it's the principle of one sows and another man reaps I Was reading there in John chapter 4 this morning. It's been referred to today that chapter But remember that woman that the Lord Jesus met at the well And as a result of that it says there in verse 36 Well, I'll read verse 35.

It says say not ye There are yet four months and then cometh harvest Behold I say unto you lift up your eyes and look in the fields for they are white Already to harvest verse 36 and he that reapeth receiveth wages Gathereth fruit unto life eternal that both he that soweth and He that reapeth May rejoice together. It's very well possible that you're the sower And someone else is gonna come along and do the reaping but what does it say it says we can rejoice together Over a soul being saved I trust these few Principles these few thoughts when it comes to sowing and reaping will be a Help to us because again remember this we all sow and Reap at one time or another If you don't sow You will not reap if you do so You will reap But be not deceived God is not mocked For what whatever a man sows he will also reap