Harvest Time
Posted by bigdaddymac on April 5, 2008
Harvest Time
Galatians 6:7-10
INTRODUCTION
Even though we may not all be farmers, we will reap a harvest in the future. The apostle Paul paints a picture of life as an opportunity to plant in one of two fields:
1. We all have the opportunity to do our planting in the realm of our fleshly nature.
Galatians 6:8 says “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
2. We all have the opportunity to plant in the realm of our spiritual nature.
Paul pictures life as an opportunity to reap a harvest. We will reap a harvest in the area of our fleshly nature if that has been the area in which we have done our planting. (Read Galatians 5:16-17) We will reap a harvest in the realm of the Spirit if we have been sowing to the Spirit (Read Galatians 5:22-23). It is highly possible that many of us have not interpreted the words of our text as fully as we should have. The apostle Paul is not speaking primarily to non believers in this text. He is warning believers against the peril of living only in the dimension of their fleshly nature. Many of us may be sowing only in the realm of the flesh and may be totally neglecting the Spirit.
The words of our text speak loudly both to the unsaved person who sows only in the realm of the flesh and to the saved person who faces the Peril of neglecting the Spirit while sowing to the fleshly nature.
I. We harvest exactly what we plant
This is both a law of nature and a law of God. When you sow wheat, you do not reap oats, when you plant cotton you do not reap peas, when you plant beans you do not reap popcorn, when you plant potatoes you do not harvest pumpkins.
If you neglected or rejected Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you are sowing in the realm of your flesh. If you have received Jesus Christ as Savior, it is still possible that you are neglecting to sow in the Spirit as you could and should.
II. We reap the harvest where we plant.
- If your life is spent sowing to your fleshly nature, you will reap a harvest only in the realm of the flesh.
- If you recognize and respond to the spiritual, you can harvest in the realm of the Spirit. We are made in the image and likeness of God and have the potential for fellowship with him. We can be in partnership with God. To the degree that you cultivate this part of your life you will reap a harvest in the realm of the Spirit.
III. We harvest more than we plant.
It is interesting to see how many tomatoes grow on a single tomato vine that was produced by a single tomato seed. It is interesting to see how many grains of wheat are produced by a single grain of wheat. It is interesting to how many kernels of corn are on a single ear of corn produced by a single kernel of corn.
In the realm of the flesh, you reap more than you sow. And in the realm of the Spirit, you reap more than you sow. If you want to reap an abundant harvest, then you plant many seeds in the realm of the Spirit.
IV. We harvest later than we plant.
No farmer expects to reap a harvest the same day he plants his seeds. Some seeds produce a crop in a few weeks. Other seeds produce a crop that takes months to reach maturity. We will reap the harvest of the flesh as well as the Spirit during our lifetime. Many of the fruits come to us here and now. We can also reap the harvest of the Spirit in the life beyond. What we are and do lives on and bears fruit after our lips have become silent and our hand have been stilled by death. God rewards his children for the total impact of their lives; and consequently, it is possible to sow seeds that will produce fruits after our earthly life is over.
Conclusion
Harvest time is coming. What will the harvest be? Are you sowing only to your flesh? If so, you need to turn
from the life of no faith and selfishness that leads to destruction. You need to come to God through faith in Jesus Christ and begin to live as God meant for you to live.
If you have already received Jesus Christ as your Savior, you would be wise to cooperate fully with God’s Holy Spirit as he seeks to work within you.
A harvest day is coming, and the harvest will be determined by the sowing that is being done in the present.
Application
Go and plant the seed of Christ in the heart of every one you see on the street, in the store, in your neighborhood, at the gas pump. It can be as easy as saying It is a great day the Lord has made, asking some one what God has dome for them, or sharing what God has done for you and your life. You never know what kind of ripple effect a smile can have on some ones day. Maybe it is just a kind word that you share with some one that will cause them to ask you; who is this Jesus that I keep hearing about? The field has been planted, it has been watered, and now it is Harvest Time.
