Sowing & Reaping

Galatians 6:6-10

December 13, 1998

 

God has established some natural principles in His universe that are unbending. Certain things happen with consistency. When Isaac Newton observed an apple falling from a tree, it struck him that an apple never fell upwards. It was always being pulled downward. Thus we had the recognition of the law of gravity. Due to gravitational pull we have heard it stated many times, 'what goes up must come down'. Space crafts exert great power to break the law of gravity. Yet, even satellites orbiting the earth eventually are pulled out of orbit and burn up while "coming down" in reentry. These inviolable laws of the universe operate uninterrupted through the centuries. It was the Lord who so designed the principles of His creation that certain laws are built into it.

 

Paul states one such law. "For whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." We know that this is certainly true in agriculture. If you plant 40 acres of corn, you will not reap 40 acres of watermelons. It is an impossibility. God has established this to be true in His universe. What you sow, of that same kind you will reap.

 

We use this phrase often in the circles of society. Perhaps there is a bit of sternness in the voice and squinting of the eyes to declare, "You know that you reap what you sow." How true this is! But preceding it is another axiom which is inviolable: "God is not mocked." Normally we do not hear this statement made alongside the other. What do these have to do with each other? They remind us of the seriousness of how we live before God in this world. We are constantly sowing and will ultimately reap what has been sown.

 

Paul establishes this principle of sowing and reaping in three areas in our text. But in order to understand what he is saying, we must consider what under girds it. We have noticed many times in our study of Galatians that these young believers were on the verge of being duped by a group of Judaizers who urged them toward legalism and away from faith alone in Christ alone. Throughout the epistle, Paul has warned them of being deceived (e.g., 1:6-7; 3:1). Now, as he applies the realities of justification in every day living through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, he again warns them about deception. Whether the deception comes internally from wrong beliefs or externally from false teaching, it is a costly deception. "Do not be deceived. God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." The logical sequence is clear.

 

If you believe that you can have one dalliance after another in sin and it not have an effect upon your life or others about you, then you are greatly deceived. God is not idly sitting by, failing to notice the indulgence in sin or the ignoring of the Word or the shunning of biblical proclamations. You cannot thumb your nose at God, which is what Paul means by mocking God. You cannot arrogantly live your life as though God has no say-so or recourse with you. Reaping time will come. I would urge you who are presuming upon God to take heed!

 

But, you might say, I have done plenty of things and there has been no reaping. If you plant corn seeds in April, you expect to see a harvest in June. You can predict it because that is the normal process. There is no normal time-scheme for reaping what we sow in life. You are on God's timetable. It is unpredictable; but it inevitably comes. It may be sooner or later, but it comes.

 

So we are reminded in this text of the seriousness of how we live before God. I urge you to hear the Word of the Lord this day. For some of you may be secretly mocking God with your lifestyles. You may think that what you do is hidden from His gaze and has no consequences. This passage serves all of us notice that a day of reaping will come for the way we sow in this life.

 

How is this applied in our daily lives? Let us consider what the Apostle sets forth for the Galatians in terms of personal responsibility before God.

 

I.  Christian Ministry

 

It is interesting that Paul connects the matter of supporting Christian ministry with sowing and reaping. This is a subject which we find the Bible addressing on numerous occasions (e.g., Luke 10:7; I Cor. 9:7-14; I Tim. 5:17-18). His statement is not long in this context, but quite pointed. If you are being taught the Word of God, as one on the receiving end, you have a responsibility to be involved in supporting those who are on the delivering end. The involvement of each member in a church supporting the work materially and financially enables a church to continue to exercise faithfulness in its ministry of the Word.

 

1. The biblical pattern

 

The word Paul utilizes for "the one who is taught," is the same word we use for catechize. Its basic meaning is 'to instruct'. The use of the present passive participle demonstrates that Paul means these believers are involved in a regular, ongoing ministry of being taught the Word of God. It was not a sporadic participation, but a normal part of the Christian's life to be instructed in the Word of God. We will do well to maintain this practice.

 

We observe throughout the Bible the need for God's people to be taught. One of the most striking evidences for this is found in the book of Ezra. There we find Ezra the scribe as one who "had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel" (7:10). The pattern for true preachers and teachers of the Word is forever enshrined in this verse: study the Word, practice the Word, teach others the Word, in that order. We find in the companion book of Nehemiah that the people of God would stand for hours to listen to the reading and exposition of Scripture (8:1-8). The very first group of believers brought to faith in Christ at Pentecost, gave themselves continually to "the apostle's doctrine." In other words, they studied the doctrines of the Word on a regular basis (Acts 2:42). Timothy was told to take the things which he had learned and to "commit them to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (II Tim. 2:2).

 

Being a regular part of the study of God's Word and its exposition is the normal, biblical pattern for the Christian. To avail yourselves of this regular diet of the Word means that you will reap its benefits in the days ahead. To neglect the study of the Word, to absent yourself from the exposition of the Word, demonstrates unfaithfulness and places that person in the line of reaping the consequence of neglecting the Word.

 

While the believer is to be "taught," there are also those "who teach[es]." The church must exist on the basis of those who instruct others in the Scriptures. Let programs go! Let pageantry go! Let big organization go! But do not diminish the ministry of teaching the Word of God! And what is to be the content being taught? "And let the one who is taught the word," explains that it is the clear, unadulterated Word of God (Greek, logos) which is to be expounded regularly to others in the body of Christ. In a day when teaching the Word has taken a backseat to all sorts of other activities, we must be steadfast in its priority.

 

Do churches who practice this biblical pattern reap the good fruit of it? Indeed, that is the promise found in the principle of our text. Sow the rich truth of Scripture and it will bring forth a harvest in due time. But what of churches who neglect the teaching of the Word? What if priority is given to other things, such as recreation, pageantry, drama, etc.? They will reap the fruit of what they have sown. Let us be realistic: which fruit would you rather harvest, the Word or the creations of the human imagination?

 

2. Material support

 

The exhortation for the one being taught the Word is to be involved in material, financial support of those teaching. "And let the one who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches." We must recall the day in which Paul wrote this epistle. It was not a popular thing to be a Christian. A man might suffer the loss of all he owned for the sake of being a preacher or teacher of God's Word. He might be shunned by family and friends. He could very well have no other means to provide for his needs than what God's people "shared" with him.

 

The labors of studying, preparing, and teaching the Word do not go unnoticed by the redeemed. They are to "share all good things with him who teaches." The word for "share" is a present imperative verb. This gives it the force of a command; not a suggestion. It is also implies that this is to be the regular practice and duty of the Christian who is being taught. He is to be faithful in giving to provide for the ministry of the Word in his church. The word conveys that it is a joint participation with others. One person cannot shoulder the load for providing the material needs of those who labor in the Word. It is the work of the entire church which Paul commends. Again, such action is a seed sown which will be reaped in due time.

 

Are you a faithful contributor in this ministry of the Word? Let us understand that neglect in this area puts us into the arena of reaping the kind of harvest which is commensurate with stinginess, greediness, and selfishness. On the other hand, have you considered that some of the continual blessing you have in life may be the direct result of reaping what you have sown in giving? Paul establishes this same principle in greater detail in II Corinthians 8-9, especially 9:6-8.

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; [NASB]

II. Christian Living

 

We move from the material realm of giving to the moral realm of daily living. The same principle of sowing and reaping is evidenced in both our disobedience and obedience. Please understand: Paul is not offering a scale-balancing model for justification. He has spent the better part of this epistle debunking such a false, graceless, legalistic idea. But in terms of our ongoing sanctification, he explains that there is a direct correspondence between our sowing and reaping.

 

Let me clarify one other thing. I believe that we can have in mind what we want to reap. Normally, this comes in expensive packages or extraordinary circumstances. It is the Lord who determines what we reap and when we reap it. This is not to be construed as a formula for health and wealth. But it is a clear principle which the Lord has established. It contains a very plain reality; how you live, the decisions you make, the things in which you involve yourself determines in degree the quality of your life in relationship to God and others. Let us see how this operates.

 

1. Sowing to the flesh

 

"For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption." We have seen that this word is sometimes used of the unbeliever and his natural state; and it is also used at times for "the believer's uncleansed humanness, which awaits the day of glorification (Rom. 8:23)." The believer's flesh "can produce all manner of selfish, fleshly desires that are contrary to God's will and standards and are expressed in everything from blatant immorality to cold indifference to the things of the Lord" [John MacArthur, NT Commentary, 188]. This is natural for the unbeliever but becomes unnatural for the one who has a new nature in Christ. He is sinning according to the patterns of his old life apart from Christ. He is being influenced by the natural realm rather than by the Holy Spirit. Paul's principle is that whether believer or unbeliever, if you sow to the flesh you will reap corruption.

 

Let us consider the believer for a moment. Can we carelessly give way to sin without that sin returning in a harvest of ruin in our lives? John is very clear that the person who continues in sin without regret is an unbeliever (cf. I John 3). But we do realize that Christians fall prey to sin--all of us. We must guard our hearts in this! John Stott has written clearly on this issue.

To 'sow to the flesh' is to pander to it, to cosset, cuddle and stroke it, instead of crucifying it. The seeds we sow are largely thoughts and deeds. Every time we allow our mind to harbor a grudge, nurse a grievance, entertain an impure fantasy, or wallow in self-pity, we are sowing to the flesh. Every time we linger in bad company whose insidious influence we know we cannot resist, every time we lie in bed when we ought to be up and praying, every time we read pornographic literature, every time we take a risk which strains our self-control, we are sowing, sowing, sowing to the flesh. [Message of Galatians, 170].

Can we wonder about the spiritual life of the believer who coddles his sin rather than forsakes it? Can that believer know the delights of Christ or have a true appreciation for worship or long for the preaching of the Word? The root issue of so many spiritual problems in Christians goes back to what they are sowing. What are you sowing in your own life?

 

But we must also consider the unbeliever, for he too sows to the flesh and reaps corruption. In a 1799 sermon on this text, Andrew Fuller, Carey's partner in ministry, points out that "future misery will consist greatly in reflection" [The Works of Andrew Fuller, vol. I, 176]. By this he pointed out that much of what happens in terms of the wrath of God upon unbelievers in hell will be their continual remembrances of how they had sinned against God. The unbeliever thought he could thumb his nose at God ("mock") but as he reaps the measure of what he has sown, he will find that "God is not mocked." He will remember the character of the One whom he spurned with his sin. "To have incurred the displeasure of a God whose nature is LOVE, must furnish reflections which cannot be endured" [176].

 

He will remember every sin and reflect upon its folly before God. He will wish he had committed less sins so that there would be less reaping in his life. Yet he plunged headlong into the folly of his sin and that against the warnings of God. So the measure he reaps will be eternally weighted. To add to this, God had warned him over and over through the preaching of the gospel that he could be delivered from his folly; yet he rejected what God provided through Christ and His cross. Many who are reaping their rejection of Christ will be those who heard the gospel over and over, but thumbed their noses at the urgent warnings in the gospel. "And what is that rejection of the gospel in the most ignorant part of the community, in comparison of that which is accompanied with much hearing, reading, and reflection?" [176-177]. What warnings we have before us! "For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption." Some of you have heard the gospel week after week, yet you give it only casual attention. You give no thought to its urgency, that you exist only by the mere pleasure of God. You have no promise of your next breath. How can you procrastinate when you must reap what you have sown and that in measure with the wrath of God as one who has lingered in his sin and not run to the gospel of Christ?

 

2. Sowing to the Spirit

 

But the principle of sowing and reaping is not altogether negative. It has a wonder promise for "the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life." Sowing to the Spirit is in the same vein as other exhortations concerning the Spirit we find the New Testament. "Walk by the Spirit" (Gal. 5:16-25), "live by the Spirit" (Gal. 5:26), "be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18) all convey the matter of living under the control of the Holy Spirit day by day. It is a life of recognizing "not I but Christ" (Gal. 2:20) in the demands of life.

 

Does this mean that God accepts us on the basis of personal merit? Absolutely not! We are accepted in the Beloved on the basis of the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ. And even our works, as unworthy as they are, are accepted on the same basis. "God not only accepts of all who believe in his Son, for his sake, but their services also become acceptable and rewardable through he same medium," wrote Andrew Fuller [178]. Our acceptance is in Christ completely. But our reward comes through the sowing of seed and the awaiting of its harvest.

 

Reaping is not necessarily in this life, whether for sowing to the flesh or sowing to the Spirit. The assurance that a time of reaping will come is all we have. Surely every believer has reaped in this life, to some degree, the bounty of sowing to the Spirit. But he also has much more ahead in the eternal dwellings of the redeemed.

 

How do we sow to the Spirit? It comes in a multitude of ways, so let us mention a few. As we offer ourselves in glad service to Christ we sow to the Spirit. As we give of our financial resources, entrusting them to the work of the Lord with joy, we sow to the Spirit. Our witness of Jesus Christ to others sows to the Spirit. "By the books we read, the company we keep and the leisure occupations we pursue we can be 'sowing to the Spirit'" [John Stott, 170]. Our ongoing habits of spiritual disciplines, worship, prayer, Bible reading, meditation sow to the Spirit. Bearing up under the difficulties of life in dependence upon the Lord and His promises sows to the Spirit. Turning away from sin, yielding the members of our body as instruments of righteousness unto God, sows to the Spirit. Demonstrating true friendship, exercising integrity in our business dealings, controlling our tongue, turning away from anger, forgiving those who have wronged us, all sow to the Spirit.

 

I believe you see the idea. As we live in conscious relationship to Jesus Christ day by day, we are sowing to the Spirit. God's promise is that a wonderful time of harvest will come. Just as surely as you plant a field with corn and you eventually reap a harvest of corn, surely as you sow to the Spirit the time of harvest will come. The labors of sowing may be difficult. You may agonize and sweat and cry out to the Lord for grace. But then comes the harvest! The rich sweetness of an abundant harvest should help to keep our focus firmly upon our Lord and walking in obedience before Him.

 

III. Christian Action

 

There is much the Christian must be through faith in Christ. But there is also much he must do as one who has been redeemed by Christ. Experiencing the grace of God leads you to showing forth grace to others. Being served by the work of Christ gives you the longing to be a servant to others. Doing good for others is the natural response in one who is born of God. Even the saving work of grace is "unto good works which God ordained beforehand that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10).

1. Encouragement to press on

 

"And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary." There are times that believers labor and labor in doing good, but seeming find no fruit. They witness, pray, serve, give, teach, love, forgive, but nothing externally indicates that they are having success in what they are doing (at least by what they see). What encouragement we have in this text! For we do face the struggle of "los(ing) heart in doing good." The word means that we grow weary, even getting to the point of being cowardly in our continuing on in Christian action. He adds to this a synonym, "grow weary," which means we relax in our faithfulness, so that we give way to evil. Our rest is on the other side, so we must keep pressing on!

 

Does this describe you? I have talked with believers from time to time who say, 'I'm tired of trying! I keep trying to do what is right and treat others as I ought to do, but it does not get any easier for me. I don't get any breaks. Life keeps right on rolling over me'. So what is the believer to do? Don't grow faint in the pursuit of doing good, for a time of reaping will be ahead for those who persevere. Yours is to press on as grateful, obedient children of God.

 

This tells us that our job is not to determine the outcome of our labors and action for Christ. We are to just do it! Perhaps we allow impure motives to creep into our lives, so that our obedient service is really just a tool for manipulating God to do things for us. Remember, "God is not mocked." We do not outwit Him or out-maneuver Him. Let us purify our hearts before Him and serve for the joy "set before us" (Heb. 12:1-3), keeping the focus of our attention upon Jesus Christ our great Mediator.

 

2. Faithful opportunists

 

We must do so for the day will come when we have no more opportunity for service in the name of Christ our Lord. "So then," that draws this whole argument to a conclusion, "while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith." How do you summarize sowing and reaping? Utilize the time God has given you in this life to do good to others in the name of Christ. We do not know the length of our days in this world. Some put off faithfulness and service for another day. The day has come! "Opportunity" beckons the Christian to serve with all of your heart and strength. We are to be faithful opportunists. Our opportunity is every day. So what are we to do?

 

A glance backward encourages us to be involved in helping brothers and sisters work through traps of sin. We are to exercise congregational discipline (6:1) in helping to restore one another to a faithful walk with Christ. We are also to be involved in bearing one another's burdens or heavy loads of life (6:2). We are to be faithful in giving to support the work of ministering the Word (6:6).

 

Looking at our text points to opportunities with "all men," which means believer and unbeliever alike. We are not to be prejudiced or bigoted in our service as Christians. Let us joyfully serve and be expended on behalf of others. But we do find that Paul tells us the special arena for Christian service is among your fellow believers, "especially to those who are of the household of the faith."

 

We have the opportunity to model for the world the power of the gospel in the way we treat one another within the church. The body of Christ becomes an open laboratory for the working of spiritual gifts, different personalities, an array of backgrounds, baggage of the past, moral weaknesses, strengths and abilities. Put all of this together and what do you have? Confusion? Selfishness? Or the amazing work of unity among believers as they serve one another?

 

"Let us do good," Paul writes, which means that we are to actively, energetically pursue a course of good for others. Do you live that way in the body? This means that you cannot be a Lone Ranger in the church. You must be involved with people if you are going to do good to them. If you find yourself trying to shrink back or hide or avoid the body, you are going to reap the consequence of such disobedience. Give yourself to faithful, loving, obedient, God-honoring service. The day of reaping will come. You may see the blade of corn in this life, but the full harvest will come on the other side in the presence of Him who died for us.

 

Conclusion

 

Do you take seriously the warnings and promises of God? We find both in our text. We are warned the consequences of sowing to the flesh. Do you want to reap the sowing of corrupt seed? But we also have a wonderful promise. Are you sowing to the Spirit so that in God's timing you might reap the harvest of eternal delights?

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