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Text: Galatians 6:7-10
Most times I’ve heard this passage preached I’ve heard it from the negative perspective as a warning about sowing to the flesh. But today I’d like to try to be an encouragement to you and look at these scriptures from the positive side of promise and abundant life.
Harvest is certain (vss 7-8)
- God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.
- This is a natural law; it is observable and useful.
- So evolution is not true.
- Sowing and reaping is one of the great themes of the Bible.
- If a man plants cucumbers, he does not expect to get peas. He cannot plant an apple tree and expect to get oranges.
- Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
- The apostle Paul often referred to this principle of sowing and reaping. 2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
- Take courage that what you sow you’ll also reap. When you ask whether or not serving God is worth it, take courage.
- Embrace abundant life in the Spirit (vs 8)
Fruit takes time, enjoy the process (vs 9)
- Be not deceived into thinking quitting on your service to God is the answer.
- There is the need for patience and perseverance. Not be weary in well doing.
- And the world run by the devil wants to wear you out by erosion over time.
- Don’t need you to fall into gross sin, I just need you to get tired of doing good God’s way.
- (That can mean you doing good YOUR way. That is the definition of legalism.)
- The reaping will come at the proper time.
- Some fruit grows faster than others.
- Some fruit yields 30, 60, 100 fold of itself.
- Our garden that got overgrown with weeds and stopped producing fruit.
- Fruit takes time. Learn to enjoy the process while you look forward to the abundant life that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
- Learn to sing while you weed your garden.
- Learn to pray while you water the garden.
- Learn to praise God while you plow the ground.
- Learn to sing while you scatter the seed.
The fruit will come with its own opportunities
- Fruit is defined in the Bible as having the seed in itself. Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
- Greater and more opportunities appear as fruit appears.
- Take advantage of opportunities – as we therefore have opportunity
- 2 Corinthians 9:8-11 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) 11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
- Remember, don’t faint, keep up the service to God and as the fruit appears more opportunities will appear in it.
- What does do good mean? It is in context with what Paul has been talking about.
- 6:1 – restoration in Christ
- 6:2 – burden bearing in Christ
- 6:6 – generosity in Christ
