North Anderson Baptist Church
Sowing and Reaping
Locations & Times
North Anderson Baptist Church
2308 N Main St, Anderson, SC 29621, United States
Sunday 10:30 AM
1) Mocking God - We can deceive ourselves and not even realize it until it is too late. Remember God has given you His Spirit, if you are His, but there is an evil opponent that you have who seeks to steal, kill and destroy you and he does it sometimes by trying to deceive you through events and actions in your life. Here Paul is telling us that we sometimes choose to deceive ourselves in our actions and thoughts. It may not be the direct action from our enemy, satan, although he many times is the underlined reason of our deception, but we alone can deceive ourselves. In doing whatever is deceptive, those persons have sought to mock God. But our God who is all wise and sovereign, He cannot be mocked no matter how smart we might be.
(To mock - is “to snub or turn up your nose.” Or, “to sneer with the nostrils drawn up in contempt.” Or, “to turn up the nose in scorn; hence to mock, or deride, or insult. The sense is, that God could not be imposed on, or could not be insulted with impunity, or successfully. To mock is, properly, (1.) to imitate, to mimic; to imitate in contempt or derision. (2.) To deride, to laugh at, to ridicule. (3.) To defeat, or to illude, or to disappoint. (4.) To fool, to tantalize-(Webster.) Here it cannot mean to imitate, or to mimic, but it refers to the principles of the Divine administration, and must mean that they could not be treated with contempt, or successfully evaded. They could not hope to allude or impose on God.” Barnes' Notes on the New Testament.)
(To mock - is “to snub or turn up your nose.” Or, “to sneer with the nostrils drawn up in contempt.” Or, “to turn up the nose in scorn; hence to mock, or deride, or insult. The sense is, that God could not be imposed on, or could not be insulted with impunity, or successfully. To mock is, properly, (1.) to imitate, to mimic; to imitate in contempt or derision. (2.) To deride, to laugh at, to ridicule. (3.) To defeat, or to illude, or to disappoint. (4.) To fool, to tantalize-(Webster.) Here it cannot mean to imitate, or to mimic, but it refers to the principles of the Divine administration, and must mean that they could not be treated with contempt, or successfully evaded. They could not hope to allude or impose on God.” Barnes' Notes on the New Testament.)
2) “A Man Reaps What He Sows” - “God has ordained that we reap what we sow. Were it not for this law, the whole principle of "cause and effect" would fail.” What does this mean. Farmers and gardeners really understand this better than most. When a person sows or spreads out, casts aside to the earth, seeds of wheat then that person will “reap” wheat when the plant comes up and then when the harvest comes, the plant bears the fruit of the seed which is the final product, wheat. The same is true with anything that you sow. Here this scripture from Genesis 1:20-25,
Here we read that God said that sea creatures, birds, animals of the land are according to their “kind.” When a farmer sows a seed it is going to produce “after its kind.” And when animals give birth or woman gives birth, all are of their kind. Men and women will not produce a dog or cat but a human being. A tomato seed will produce tomatoes only.
Now, we have said all of that to say what a man sows he will reap and nothing different. God says that our sowing will produce reaping of the same kind. So we can’t change the process God set up from the beginning.
This month of January has been Sanctity of Human Life month for many years now. Why? We celebrate life because our country made a law that it is legal to have an abortion. Many people began this by saying what is in the womb of a woman was just a mess of cells and not a human being. People continue to say that the baby in the womb of an woman isn’t a human being until…. After the first trimester or after the second one or even not until the “thing” takes a breath, then it becomes a human. What is destroyed by abortion is a human baby from the inception to the birth.
What is Paul talking about here? I believe verse 8 speaks to the subject of sowing and reaping.
“Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
Now, we have said all of that to say what a man sows he will reap and nothing different. God says that our sowing will produce reaping of the same kind. So we can’t change the process God set up from the beginning.
This month of January has been Sanctity of Human Life month for many years now. Why? We celebrate life because our country made a law that it is legal to have an abortion. Many people began this by saying what is in the womb of a woman was just a mess of cells and not a human being. People continue to say that the baby in the womb of an woman isn’t a human being until…. After the first trimester or after the second one or even not until the “thing” takes a breath, then it becomes a human. What is destroyed by abortion is a human baby from the inception to the birth.
What is Paul talking about here? I believe verse 8 speaks to the subject of sowing and reaping.
“Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
3) Sow to Sinful Nature, Reap to Destruction - Paul then is speaking about the sinful life or fleshly life and the spiritual life. When people sow to the flesh there is destruction coming to them. Why is that? The flesh is opposite of the spiritual life God has given us and being at odds, the end result is different.
To reap of fleshly sowing or spiritual sowing signifies one’s enjoyment or punishment in another world. Jesus tells us that there is a reaper that comes to us when we sow to the flesh. Sometimes there is reaping in this life but be assured there will be reaping in the eternal as well.
To reap of fleshly sowing or spiritual sowing signifies one’s enjoyment or punishment in another world. Jesus tells us that there is a reaper that comes to us when we sow to the flesh. Sometimes there is reaping in this life but be assured there will be reaping in the eternal as well.
“One day a visitor in a penitentiary passed by a cell where a man was patching his prison garb with needle and thread. The visitor, wanting to begin a conversation with the prisoner, said, "What are you doing? Sewing? The prisoner looked up and replied, "No, reaping!"
“That is the point of this verse. The principle stated here is immutable, invariable, unalterable, and cannot be revoked. It cannot be changed one iota, and it is applicable to every sphere and field of life. When you sow wheat, you will get wheat. You will never pick a squash off of a walnut tree. Sometimes a watermelon vine extends out twenty feet in one direction, but it has never been known to make the mistake of putting a pumpkin on the end of it. It always puts a watermelon out there. There is wheat being found in tombs in Egypt that was put there five thousand years ago. They planted it and it came up wheat. In five thousand years the seed did not forget that it was wheat. What you sow you will reap and that will never change.”JVM
“That is the point of this verse. The principle stated here is immutable, invariable, unalterable, and cannot be revoked. It cannot be changed one iota, and it is applicable to every sphere and field of life. When you sow wheat, you will get wheat. You will never pick a squash off of a walnut tree. Sometimes a watermelon vine extends out twenty feet in one direction, but it has never been known to make the mistake of putting a pumpkin on the end of it. It always puts a watermelon out there. There is wheat being found in tombs in Egypt that was put there five thousand years ago. They planted it and it came up wheat. In five thousand years the seed did not forget that it was wheat. What you sow you will reap and that will never change.”JVM
Fleshly desires acted upon will bring or reap sinful results which sets forth a harvest of destruction from God. Let’s look at Galatians 5:19-21,
Paul shares some of the fleshly acts with which the Galatians would be familiar. So each of these reap destruction in some way for the people who participate in them. Mostly these are reminders for the Christians of what life was like before they trusted in Christ and followed Him.
Sometimes that destruction is in the body such as HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases of today or it might be a crime where one ends up paying for that crime in prison.
Rock Hudson, a great star in films in the 50’s and 60’s found out that he was dying of AIDS after years of sowing to the flesh in acts of homosexuality. Remember this verse, “Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.”
But someone might say, “If a person gets away without punishment because he is not caught, then there is not punishment.” God is not mocked, whatever you sow you will reap in God’s timing, either here on earth but for sure in God’s hereafter for those who are lost and live to themselves. Remember what Paul said in Romans 1:24-31,
Sometimes that destruction is in the body such as HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases of today or it might be a crime where one ends up paying for that crime in prison.
Rock Hudson, a great star in films in the 50’s and 60’s found out that he was dying of AIDS after years of sowing to the flesh in acts of homosexuality. Remember this verse, “Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.”
But someone might say, “If a person gets away without punishment because he is not caught, then there is not punishment.” God is not mocked, whatever you sow you will reap in God’s timing, either here on earth but for sure in God’s hereafter for those who are lost and live to themselves. Remember what Paul said in Romans 1:24-31,
There will be a reaping from the acts of the sinful nature and unbelief. There are results that come from every action. If you go about your Christian life gossiping about others, then the reaping will come, maybe from ways you would never expect. But it will come because of the law of sowing and reaping. If your life is full of anger, or prejudice or hatred, you will reap a crop that will be suffocating to your life in Christ and probably to your family. God says that the seeds you sow should be of those from the Spiritual realm.
4) Sow to the Spirit, Reap Eternal Life - There are with God special rewards that come from sowing to the Spirit. When our lives are turned toward God and our hearts are being lead of the Spirit and we walk with the Holy Spirit, God gives to us, here on this earth, the blessings in abundance far more than we can count and when we die, He rewards us with the eternal life of our final step of salvation with Him in heaven. Paul says in Galatians 5:16-18,
One of the great blessings of being free in Christ is that the reaping is a righteous and holy life on this side of heaven. The Judaizers wanted the Galatian Christians to be locked in with the Jewish law and thus be conformed to the flesh and not the Spirit. Paul says we are free from the fleshly, sinful nature never to be brought under its domination again.
What is the lesson from Paul’s words?
1) Live and sow to the Spirit and not the flesh and you will reap godliness and holiness in your life.
2) Sow to the flesh and the reaping will be destruction maybe now but for sure in the by and by.
3) You cannot mock God.
4) If you try to mocked God you have fooled yourself.
5)Our God is Sovereign over all.
6)We are free in Christ to live for Him or live without Him.
If one is a believer and you are sowing to the flesh, I warn you that you will not deceive God but only yourself. Repent and seek the forgiveness of God and restoration of His fellowship.
1) Live and sow to the Spirit and not the flesh and you will reap godliness and holiness in your life.
2) Sow to the flesh and the reaping will be destruction maybe now but for sure in the by and by.
3) You cannot mock God.
4) If you try to mocked God you have fooled yourself.
5)Our God is Sovereign over all.
6)We are free in Christ to live for Him or live without Him.
If one is a believer and you are sowing to the flesh, I warn you that you will not deceive God but only yourself. Repent and seek the forgiveness of God and restoration of His fellowship.
Invitation
Dear friend if you are reading this by way of the internet please know that you are loved and cared for. If you have no relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ His Son, then I invite you to trust Him by faith and receive Him as your personal Savior. Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sin of everyone in the world that they may have eternal life. All of us have sinned and all are guilty before Almighty God who made us to have fellowship with Him. But sin broke that ability to have a relationship and Jesus has restored the possibility to know God personally through His sacrifice. Please know that if you will seek God and turn from your sin and pray He will respond with His love and give to you a personal relationship through your belief in His Son and the sacrifice He made just for you. He will call for a change in your life too. He wants you to follow Him, not the world, not your own desires, but to follow Jesus. That brings a life change when you turn from sin and self and by faith believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. There is no Savior without Him being Lord of your life. Your willingness to change by following Him daily in your life will be the proof of your faith. When life throws its curves your way and you have found yourself broken by others or by the world let us introduce you to the only One who can help you…Jesus! You can write or call the office and we will follow up by contacting you. Office phone number is 864-225-2575 and the website address is www.northandersonbaptist.com and the physical address is 2308 N. Main St., Anderson, SC 29621. Dear friend if you are a believer and you have been touched by the Lord and you would like to talk to someone at the church just contact us in one of the ways you see above. If you are a believer and would like to talk about the church and your interest in being a part, please call and we can set up an appointment for you and get to know you. It would be a great pleasure to share our Lord’s love with you. This is a loving church and you are important to us, so please let us know what we can do for you in the Lord.Pastor Bill Rigsby
http://www.northandersonbaptist.com