Galatians 6
We are walking in today: We Reap Only What Has Been Sown!!!!
Witness harvest throughout the Bible: H7105 qatsiyr--harvest, harvesting, process of harvesting, crop, what is harvested or reaped, time of harvest
Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, H7105 and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
The Torah ..................…
Exodus 23:16 And the feast of harvest, H7105 the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
The prophets...............…
Jeremiah 5:24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain,
both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. H7105
The writings .............
Proverbs 10:5 He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest H7105 is a son that causeth shame.
Hosea 6:11 Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest H7105 for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people.
This study is not meant to intimidate us from making choices, for even a failure to make choices is a choice. Rather, it is designed to motivate us to wise choices that we may redeem the time.
Ephesians 5:15-18. Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.
Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, That we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom.
Why do we need wisdom? So we can make wise choices!
Stop and think about this! All life comes from antecedent life: from the labor and sowing of others. What we reap was planted either naturally or purposely, either by God or by man, and for either positive or for negative results. We reap the fruit of much for which we have extended no labor because we enter into the labor of others either for good or for bad. In other words, this law of the harvest, We Reap Only What Has Been Sown, has both a positive and a negative side.
The Positive Side
Though we are benefactors of much for which we have extended no labor, we still have the privilege of entering into the labor of others (John 4:35-38).
Blessings We Reap Because of What God Has Done on Our Behalf
(1) The Blessings of Common Grace (Matt. 5:45; Acts 17:24-28; James 1:17; John 3:27). God is gracious toward all men whether they realize it or not, or whether they ever give Him thanks for His blessings. In fact, every good gift we enjoy comes from God (Acts 17:24-28; Jam. 1:17; John 3:27).
(2) The Blessings of Salvation Grace (Matt. 21:37; John 3:16; 6:27-32; Rom. 10:6-8; Jam. 1:17-18; 1 John 5:9-12). Regardless of man’s lack of thankfulness, God has given man the greatest gift of all in His Son who became man that we might have life by faith in Him.
Blessings We Reap Because of What Others Have Done On Our Behalf
The Fact (John 4:35-38; Deut. 6:10-11 and the laws of inheritance). Our Lord’s statements in John 4, though dealing with the ministry of evangelism, are nevertheless based on this general principle of life. Deuteronomy 6 and the laws of inheritance further illustrate this principle, but it is true even for that person who brags about being a self-made man in dozens of ways. Whether he realizes it or not, his talents, the opportunities for success, and the fruitfulness he has experienced are all given by the grace of God.
Did we bring the Bible to these shores? Did it not rather bring us? The breath of the ancient Prophets was in the sails that drove the tiny Mayflower.
Application: Do we realize the far-reaching implications of our choices on the lives of others—children, family members, co-workers, friends? The teaching of Scripture on being an example to others stresses this very point (2 Chron. 17:3; John 13:15; 1 Thess. 1:7; 2 Thess. 3:7-9; 1 Tim. 4:12; Tit. 2:7). Being a good model is a form of sowing that can result in reaping Messiah-like changes in the lives of others.
The Negative Side
We Reap the Wrong Others Have Sown
The law of sowing and reaping also has a negative side. We not only enter into the blessings God has bestowed, but we also reap the results of wrong others have sown both before us and around us.
(1) We reap a certain amount of wrong inherited from our parents (Ps. 51:5; 58:3; Gen. 5:3; Ex. 20:6; 34:6-7; Num. 14:18).
(2) We all reap the sin of Adam and we pass that along to our children. This means not only a sinful nature, but things children can learn like how to be critical from a fault-finding parent.
(3) We reap the wrong of foolish and corrupt leaders and the consequences of a decaying society (see Isa. 2:5-3:15). This often includes the judgment of God on society—past, present, and future.
Challenges and Implications
A Call to Sowing What is Good
We need to be doing what we can while we can and leave the results with God knowing that our labor is never in vain (1 Cor. 15:10, 58) and also knowing it has consequential implications on others. Some may be involved in the sowing, some in the watering, and others in the reaping, but God is at work bringing the increase according to His purposes (1 Cor. 3:6-7).
A Call to Thankfulness
Another challenge is one of thankfulness by acknowledging the fact of a personal God who has blessed us with His providential care and given us the privilege of not only sowing and reaping, but of reaping the blessings of what others have sown (Rom. 1:18; Ps. 100:1-5; 107:1)
A Call to Moral Responsibility (Matt. 5:43-48)
(1) To love others and treat them in grace as we all experience the common grace of God who causes His sun to rise on the evil and good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous alike.
(2) To acknowledge our moral responsibility because we are created in the image of God.
A Call to Trust God to Provide for Our Needs (Matt 6:25-34).
This has both a positive and a negative side.
(1) To rest in the reality of God Himself, in His personal care and supply by putting Him first and by using the resources He gives. To see and respond to this, Jesus challenges us to compare the birds of the air and the lilies of the field (Matt. 6:25-34).
(2) To trust God rather than lean on our own solutions and strategies for handling life or to find security, significance, and happiness (Jer. 1:13; 17:1).
A Call for Vigilance, Prayer, and Wisdom
1 Timothy 2:1-3 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Ephesians 5:15-18 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
Galatians 6:1-8 Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. 5 For each one shall bear his own load. 6 And let the one who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.
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