Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

Special thanks to Steven Furtick and Elevation Church for the use of the resource materials and the inspiration for this sermon series.

Welcome to week #2 of our series called New Thru 30. In this series, we are coming together as a church to read through the entire New Testament in 30 days. Today marks the halfway point. We are 15 days into the challenge and we’ve got 15 more to go.

Some of you are right on track with the reading. That is awesome! You’ve made it halfway. You’re in your rhythm now. Don’t quit! Keep going strong!

Others of you have probably fallen behind. If you’ve fallen a couple of days behind, that’s why there are grace days built into the reading plan. Use those days to catch up. I had to use a grace day myself this week. No big deal.

Maybe you’ve fallen so far behind that you’ve just quit. Don’t do it. Just restart today. Go to the reading plan today and start from there. The worst thing you could do is say, “Well, I fell behind, so I’m just giving up.” Don’t do it. Like we talked about last week, the Word of God is your weapon to fight against the enemy. You need the Word to win the fight for your life. Recommit and jump back in today.

And if you’re joining us for the first time today, it’s not to late to jump on board. The New Thru 30 reading plan is on our website. You can also get one at the door as you leave today. Just go to today’s date and jump into the Word of God with us.

Each Sunday in this series, I’m preaching a Scripture that was in the previous week’s reading. This past week, we read the book of Galatians as part of the reading plan. There is a principle in the book of Galatians that is critically important. In fact, Steven Furtick called it the most important principle in the universe. And I don’t think that is overstating it.

It’s the very simple principle of sowing and reaping. We’re going to be in Galatians 6 today right after we pray

Galatians 6, verses 7-9. “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 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. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:7-9, NIV)

There is an amazingly simple principle in these verses. We’re going to spend the rest of our time unpacking it.

The outline for this message is not original with me. It’s an old sermon outline that has been around for a long, long time. In fact, I’m not even sure who first created it. But the reason this outline has stood the test of time is that it’s true. I don’t usually preach an old school, three point sermon, but I’m going to today.

My son Ryan (6 years old) has recently discovered the old Charlie Brown cartoons. And he loves them. He watches them all the time. Not too long ago, Ryan was watching Charlie Brown and he looked at me and said, “Daddy, is Charlie Brown old school?”

And I smiled and said, “Yeah, son. It’s old school. And it’s still good.”

That’s what we’re doing today. And old school, three point sermon. And it’s still good.

In fact, I’m going to go ahead and give you all three points right up front.

First point – You always reap what you sow.

Second point – You always reap more than you sow.

Third point – You always reap later than you sow.

There it is. A three point sermon that would make any old revival preacher proud.

Now, let’s get into it. First point - You always reap what you sow.

Notice that I didn’t say that you usually reap what you sow or you’ll probably reap what you sow. I said always.

Anytime you use the word “always,” you’d better be ready to back it up. I’m ready to back it up today. According to God’s Word, you ALWAYS reap what you sow. It is a law. Not a probability. Not a hypothesis. It is a Scriptural law. It has been tested over thousands of years, and the Word has proven true.

Paul wrote in Galatians 6, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Galatians 6:7, NIV)

The principle of sowing and reaping is so basic. It’s so obvious. You reap what you sow. What you put into life is what you get out of life. Every action creates an equal and opposite reaction. It’s so engrained in us. It’s so basic. So simple. But Paul wants to drive it home, saying, “Do not be deceived.”

The danger is self-deception. Even though we know that the law of sowing and reaping so well, it’s easy for us to deceive ourselves. It’s easy to convince yourself that, “I am the exception.” Paul says very bluntly that you’re not the exception.

But a lot of us aren’t listening. We still hope that we’re the exception. We want other people to get justice for the bad things they have done, but I want to opt out of this principle when it affects me negatively. I want to be the exception.

Now, if I can reap positive when I do good things, I like that. Count me in. But when it comes to the bad stuff, I want to opt out. I want to be the exception.

Don’t be deceived. God and His laws can’t be mocked. You ALWAYS reap what you sow. Always.

If you are living in willful sin and disobedience to God and you think you’re getting away with it, I can tell you for certain that you are deceived.

If you are participating in a lifestyle that you know doesn’t honor God and you’re pushing the limits of what you know God’s Word teaches, don’t be deceived…you will always reap what you sow because God will not be mocked by you, or by me, or by anyone.

Don’t be deceived. You can trick a lot of people, but God will not be tricked, mocked, or deceived by anyone. You’re not the exception to it. I’m not the exception to it.

You always reap what you sow.

For example, if you gossip about people, you’re going to be very lonely. You’ll wind up with no friends because no one can trust you. They’ll think, “If you’ll gossip about this person, then who’s to say that you won’t gossip about me? I’m outta here.” You’re going to wind up alone. You will reap what you sow.

That’s the bad news. You always reap what you sow.

Here’s the good news. You always reap what you sow!

For those of you who feel like you’re working hard and you love Jesus and you’re giving it your all and it’s not paying off, you always reap what you sow. If you’re serving, loving, giving…God will not promise His blessings to you and not deliver them. You always reap what you sow.

Think about it this way. Reaping and sowing are an agricultural illustration. Now I know a lot of us aren’t farmers. I grew up working on farms, but maybe you didn’t. It doesn’t matter, because this principle is so easy to understand.

A seed produces after its own kind. In other words, what you put in the ground is what you’ll get out of the ground. You don’t plant a pumpkin seed and harvest a pineapple. You don’t plant an apple seed and pick a watermelon. What you plant is what you pick. That’s true in farming. That’s true in our lives. What you plant is what you pick.

What you put into your marriage is what you’re going to get out of your marriage. What you plant in your marriage is what you will pick in your marriage.

I’ve met wives who are incredibly unsatisfied in their marriage. But what they don’t see is that they have planted so many seeds of discouragement in their husband’s heart that he doesn’t even want to try anymore. What you plant is what you pick.

Divorce doesn’t happen out of nowhere. Never. Ever. When a divorce happens, you can guarantee that someone was sowing seeds for a long, long time.

Don’t expect to harvest something out of the ground that you never planted in the ground. Guys, don’t expect a cheerful, happy marriage when all you do is check out and ignore your wife and wait for her to shut up so you can get back to the game you were watching. What you plant is what you pick.

And one day when she finally tells you that she just doesn’t love you anymore, you’re gonna say, “What happened?!?!” You always reap what you sow! What you plant is what you pick. That’s what happened.

Have you ever watched the show, Super Nanny? I can’t stand to watch it because I always get mad. This show always features parents of these demon-possessed, terrorist kids who tell the Super Nanny, “We don’t know how he got this way.” I know how he got that way! You never told him no. You never beat him in love and told him no. You’re reaping what you sow. You’re picking what your planted.

This applies to any area of your life. It applies to your family, your job, your finances, your health, your relationships, your education, your church. It applies across the board.

Listen…it’s time for you to stop complaining about the fruit on your tree and start changing the seed you are putting in the ground.

Now, here’s the thing about seeds. Seeds are small. Real small. And so, when you’re sowing seeds, it’s easy to believe that it’s not really a big deal.

It’s just words. No big deal. Or it’s just some harmless flirting. Or it’s just a little fudging on my taxes. Or it’s just pictures on a computer screen. Or it’s just…

The seeds we sow are small. They just don’t seem like that big of a deal at the time.

But here’s the second point of the message. You always reap more than you sow. That seed is small, but you will reap big. You always reap more than you sow.

Look at verse 8 in Galatians 6. “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.” (Galatians 6:8, NIV)

Think about what Paul is telling us here. The seeds we sow to please the flesh are small, but we reap destruction. Destruction isn’t a small thing. Destruction is a big thing.

The seeds we sow to please God are often very small, but we reap eternal life. Eternal life is a really big thing.

Here’s the takeaway from that…small beginnings have huge impact for good or for bad.

When you sow that small seed to please your flesh or your sinful nature, it will lead to destruction.

When you sow a small seed of obedience to Jesus, it impacts your eternal reward.

There are massive implications for obedience or disobedience.

And I’m willing to bet that you already know this is true. If you look back over your life, some of the smallest mistakes you have made have led you into the longest periods of pain and despair and guilt. And it started so small.

The harvest is always much bigger than the seed. Nobody thinks, “I’m going to go plant a devastation crop today. I’ll plant that and water it. And one day, I’m going to harvest absolute destruction in my life.”

Nobody thinks about that when they’re sowing a destructive seed, but what they forget is that the harvest is always bigger than the seed.

I’ve talked with guys who started flirting with someone who isn’t their wife. Causal, sporadic, “harmless” flirtation. It was a small seed.

A few years later, his kids hated him because it ended in an affair. He never intended for that to happen. The seed was so small. It seemed innocent and fun. But you always reap more than you sow.

That’s why God warns us, “Don’t even entertain that thought. It’s going to destroy you.”

Don’t even sow the very first opportunity to ruin your life, because you’re going to reap so much more than you sow.

Guys, I know that a picture on a computer screen doesn’t seem like a big thing. It’s just a picture. Your computer just recognizes it as a string of letters and numbers. But that seed is going to grow. There are guys in this room who could tell you the devastating effect that pornography had on them. The addiction. The sexual brokenness. The problems in their marriage. I know it doesn’t seem like that when you’re looking at a computer monitor, but you always reap more than you sow.

Girls, you know that guy that’s a little too grabby? Don’t let him touch you. Don’t even let him go there. It doesn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but it will destroy you. There are women in this room who could tell you the horror story of pain and regret that is waiting on you if you keep going down that path. Don’t plant the seed, because you will reap so much more.

Adults, don’t even let a root of bitterness spring up in your life. You can’t even allow yourself to hate someone a little bit, because it will destroy you. It doesn’t feel that way at the time, but you will reap what you sow. And you will reap so much more than you sow.

That’s the bad news. You reap more than you sow.

Here’s the good news: You reap more than you sow! When you sow to the Holy Spirit, you get so much more than you ever imagined.

When you start sowing seeds of generosity, you will wake up one day and realize how much more that you’ve been given. You can’t outgive God. And when you live generously, it comes back to you double. You always reap more than you sow.

In this Bible reading challenge that we’re in, keep going. Even though it’s tough, you will reap so much more than you sow. You will get much more out of this than you put into this.

In your church, you will always reap more than you sow. If you spend your time criticizing and condemning everything you don’t like about the church, then you’re going to wind up feeling ostracized and lonely because no one will want to be around that kind of negativity. You always reap more than you sow.

But if you jump in and you serve…even on the days when you don’t feel like it…you’ll get so much more in return. When you bring a tithe, you won’t believe how much you’ll be blessed. When you encourage someone in our church who is down and hurting, you’ll get much more than you put into it.

You always reap what you sow. You always reap more than you sow. And the last point…you always reap later than you sow.

In verse 9, the Bible says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9, NIV)

Paul is telling us, “Don’t give up! You’re sowing good seed. You’re doing you’re best. Don’t give up.”

It’s very dangerous to become discouraged because you can’t see the harvest while you’re planting the seed.

We live in a culture that is all about instant. Think about the changes we’ve seen. For example, you used to have to go to a record store to buy music.

A few years from now, my kids will be able to think of a song and it will be instantly downloaded into their brain. I think that’s where we’re headed.

It feels like everything in our world is instantaneous. But it doesn’t work that way with sowing and reaping. Talk to any farmer and they’ll tell you that you always reap later than you sow.

There is a word that you and I need to learn. The word is “eventually.” It will eventually come. You will eventually reap what you sow.

It takes a while when you’re flirting with sin to see the results. But the results will come.

Just like it takes a little while to gain weight. My family had a TON of good stuff to eat during the holidays. I’m talking about turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, peanut butter pie, Christmas cookies, homemade fudge, and a partridge in a pear tree. It was awesome. And I dove in headfirst. I admit it. I enjoyed all of it. And I really didn’t see any instant results from that.

But after eating this stuff throughout December, January rolled around and I was saying things like, “Now these jeans USED to fit! The dang dryer shrunk them!”

Actually the dryer wasn’t the problem. The problem was the refrigerator. I didn’t see instant results from the pie and the fudge and the ham and the mashed potatoes…but the results eventually showed up.

It takes a while, but it will happen. You will eventually reap what you sow.

That’s the bad news: you always reap later than you sow.

Here’s the good news (you guessed it!): you always reap later than you sow!

When you love Jesus, when you put him first, you can take confidence in the fact that you will reap a harvest if you don’t give up.

I was in youth ministry for over 10 years. And I remember a lot of times, I would leave church after a youth event and I would think things like, “Why did I even do that? They weren’t listening. There wasn’t a kid there tonight that heard one word that I said. I don’t know why I even bothered to show up.” It was so frustrating…to the point where I almost quit.

That was then. Here’s what’s happening now. Those same kids that I thought weren’t listening are now adults. And every so often, they’ll email me or call me and they’ll repeat something that I taught them years ago and they’ll tell me how much it has helped them. You always reap later than you sow.

So if you’re involved in our children’s or youth ministry here at church…take heart. If you’re teaching that group of kids and nothing seems to be happening…you’re not even sure they’re listening to you…keep going. You always reap later than you sow.

That’s true of any area of our lives. The harvest always comes long after the seed has been planted.

You’re trying and striving and hurting because you never seem to be rewarded for your effort. Hang in there. You will receive a harvest in proper time.

The question is do you trust God enough to keep sowing seeds when you can’t see the harvest? A lot of people don’t. That’s why a lot of people come to this church, get absolutely fired up for God, and then we can’t even find them 4 months later. It happens all the time.

People come and say, “Man, this is awesome! I love God! I love this church! I’m all in!” And then a few months later, there gone. I mean they are G-O-N-E, gone! The CIA couldn’t even find them. They gave up because they’re so used to instant results. They don’t realize that you always reap later than you sow.

I’ve said this before from this stage and I’ll keep on saying it: just because you can’t see what God is doing doesn’t mean that He’s doing nothing. Just because He’s working behind the scenes doesn’t mean that He’s not working at all on your behalf. We’ve just got to patiently endure until the harvest finally comes.

In Romans 15, the Bible says, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4, NIV)

This is why we’ve got to be in the Word of God, because the Word gives us endurance, and encouragement and hope. Until the harvest comes, you can bank on the promises in the Word. And God has promised that you always reap later than you sow, but the season of reaping will eventually come. The harvest is coming. Don’t give up.

God’s timing isn’t necessarily our timing. We wish we could have instant rewards for our service. But in His love, He is teaching us to trust Him. He is teaching us that, even though we don’t know what He is doing, He is always doing something.

I love the way The Message paraphrase reads in Isaiah 45. “Clearly, you are a God who works behind the scenes...” (Isaiah 45:15, The Message)

God is working, even if you can’t see it. You will eventually reap what you sow. It may not have happened yet, but it will happen.

Some of you are just flat out ready to give up on something. Maybe it’s your job. Maybe it’s your marriage. Maybe it’s one of your kids.

Maybe you’re ready to give up on that friend that doesn’t know God. You’ve invited them to church. You’ve talked about Jesus. Nothing. You’re ready to give up.

Maybe you’re ready to give up on your finances. Things are such a mess. Paying off debt is taking so long and it’s so hard. You’re ready to give up.

Maybe you’re just ready to give up on God. You’ve put your trust in Him, and nothing seems to have changed. Your life is still your life. Same old problems. Same old messes. Same old everything. And you’re ready to give up on God entirely.

Listen…you always reap what you sow. You always reap more than you sow. And you always reap later than you sow. Always. Every single time. No exceptions.

Don’t give up. Don’t quit. Don’t stop sowing good seeds. Don’t go back to the same old bad seed you used to sow.

Now, some of you are going to ignore this. You’re going to give up anyway. You’re going to go back to sowing the same old destructive seed that you used to sow. And initially, it’s not going to seem like any big deal.

But you will remember this message one day when it’s harvest time. You will remember everything I said because, one day, you will reap what you have sown. You will reap a harvest of pain and brokenness.

Now, I will never say I told you so (even though I did tell you so!). That’s not how grace operates. We won’t say, “I told you so.” We’ll just love you like Jesus loves you.

But that won’t erase the consequences in your life. Even when grace is present, earthly consequences still remain. You still reap what you sow.

The better option is to sow good seed. Sow seeds that honor God. Sow seeds that bless other people. And then wait for harvest time, because you will reap a harvest of joy and peace and blessing.

“But Mike, I’ve already sowed so many bad, destructive seeds in my life.”

That’s why Jesus came. That’s why He lived the perfect life that we couldn’t live. And that’s why He died the death that we should have died. The cross stands as a reminder of the seeds that we have sown…and a God who loves us anyway.

God’s grace is greater than anything you have sown in your life. Now, like I said, God’s grace doesn’t negate earthly consequences for our actions. But it does give us a second chance. Grace doesn’t keep score. Grace doesn’t keep track. Grace simply loves, and forgives, and restores.

That’s why Jesus came and died and rose again. Clayton King said, “Jesus shows us God's wrath against sin & God's grace to forgive it. He is the recipient of our punishment & the reward of our perseverance.”

If you’re ready to give up…to just throw in the towel and quit…Jesus is saying, “Don’t do it! Don’t quit! I didn’t give my life for you just so I could give up on you. So don’t give up on Me!”

And for others of us, Jesus is calling you cross that line of faith for the first time. He has never given up on you, in spite of all the destruction and sin you have sown in your life. If you are ready to cross that line and experience His grace, we invite you to come.

Mike Edmisten

Tags: Bible, consequences, Galatians 6, New Thru 30, sowing and reaping