God's Law of Sowing and Reaping

Well, brethren, God has many laws by which He rules the universe. We know that. Today, we're going to discuss one of the most important of God's laws. This is a law that will not fail. You can absolutely count on this law. Someone who understands this law and lives by it is going to be greatly blessed.

Anyone who disregards this law and breaks it brings upon himself, in a sense, an automatic curse. There's something going to happen that's not going to be so good.

This is a law that we experience firsthand every day of our lives. I dare say that this is a law that we experience basically every second of our lives.

In fact, it's a law that you are experiencing right now. This is a law that has a profound impact or effect upon you even now as you sit here listening to this sermon. It's a law that has a profound effect upon me personally right now as I give this sermon. This is a law that we can't get away from, no matter how hard we try.

So now that I've piqued your interest and your curiosity, you're asking yourself, well, what law is he talking about? Perhaps you have figured it out, or perhaps you're zoned out right now and have your mind on other things. Perhaps you stayed up too late and you're having difficulty focusing right now.

Perhaps your mind is consumed with some problem that you've been experiencing in your life, and so it's difficult for you to concentrate. Maybe you wore yourself out all week long and you're very tired right now. Or maybe you paced yourself well this week and you got a good night's sleep and you're gung-ho listening intently and you're sitting on the edge of your seat hanging on my every word.

Regardless, you are even now experiencing this law that is so profound and active in your life. So enough suspense and drama. What law am I talking about? Well, let's go to Galatians 6, where we'll find this law, one of God's laws, Galatians 6.

And we'll begin reading it in verse 6. Galatians 6.

Galatians 6. Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches, do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

So this is the law I'm talking about today. The law that whatever a man sows, he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the spirit will of the spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. So the law I'm talking about is the law that whatever a man sows, that he shall also reap. And 2 Corinthians 9 goes along with it as well. 2 Corinthians 9, verse 6. But this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. So this is a law, the law of sowing and reaping. It's an important law. It's one of God's laws. It is in effect. So how well do you understand God's law of sowing and reaping? How well are you applying it in your own personal life? We're going to talk about this law today, God's law of sowing and reaping. You don't have to believe in God to see and to admit that this law is indeed active in the universe. All people experience this law whether they want it or not, whether they believe in God or don't believe in God. They still experience this law. If you pick any circumstance at all where man is involved, you will see that this law really does work. It is in effect. For example, we might just take a football example, Ezekiel Elliott for a moment. Now, I haven't really looked into the allegations against Ezekiel Elliott, but there was a lot of press about Ezekiel Elliott.

He was trying to put off his suspension for as long as he could. Last year, he was the number one running back in the NFL, but he got himself into some trouble with a girlfriend, I guess. And it really did end up costing him quite a bit and also the Cowboys. I think they would have had a better year if he would have been able to play every game.

Undoubtedly, he made some bad choices. He sowed some bad seed. He ended up reaping the consequences. He was suspended for six games, and his suspension likely did have a big impact on the Cowboys season. I don't know how big of an impact, but they didn't make the playoffs this year. It has turned out a lot differently from last year. Of course, there are other reasons. There were other injuries and things that took place as well. But nevertheless, we do reap what we sow, and Ezekiel Elliott made some bad choices. And he paid the consequences for those choices. Now, you may remember, about six years ago, there was a congressional hearing on the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf. In the proceeding, several spoke very clearly of the law of sowing and reaping. Although I doubt whether it was ever mentioned, I don't think anyone ever referred to it as this law. But it was very clear that British Petroleum, that BP, made some choices that led to the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico about six years ago. CEO Tony Hayward looked extremely uncomfortable, as he was being grilled from member after member of Congress. You may remember that. It's been a few years, but not all that long ago. It was clearly revealed that British Petroleum chose a riskier, cheaper design on their well that went all wrong in the Gulf. Anadarko Oil, owner of 25% of the well, said the disaster was as a resort of reckless decisions and actions by BP. 35% of their wells still have this risky design also, so you wonder what might happen in the future. Maybe they've made a lot of changes since then. Hopefully they have. I'm sure they wouldn't want to go through what they went through six years ago. But again, it's a law. We reap what we sow. There are consequences for the actions that we take, the things that we decide to do.

There are always consequences. Several years after inventing radar, Sir Robert Watson Watt was arrested in Canada for speeding. Now, he'd been caught in a radar trap. Afterwards, he wrote this little poem. He said, He said, pity Sir Robert Watson Watt, strange target of his radar plot. And this, with others, I could mention a victim of his own invention.

But he probably made lots and lots of money on that thing, so I don't feel too sorry for him. He had to pay A fine. But he probably made a lot of money. This was illustrated in a leadership journal back in 1986. It's been several years ago. But that's when that actual poem was written in Leadership magazine. Well, the point I'm making is that we do reap what we sow. There are consequences for the decisions and for the actions that we take.

So I'd like to discuss this law with you today. First of all, let's consider that God intended that his chosen people would be greatly blessed if they would sow the good seed of keeping his laws and his ways. God gave laws. He showed how he wanted the children of Israel to live. He made it pretty clear to them. He intended that his chosen people would be greatly blessed, that they would reap what they were sowing, and they would reap a lot of a good harvest from it. In Genesis 26, 5, and this is a verse that many of us know by heart, it says, because Abraham obeyed my voice, kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws, it was because Abraham made certain choices, certain decisions, that God chose him, and that God blessed him and blessed all of his descendants.

It was because God saw that Abraham had a heart to obey him and to follow him, and so there were many, many blessings that resulted because of what Abraham did, the choices that he made. He wasn't perfect by any means, but Abraham did obey God's voice, and he did keep his commandments, his statutes, and his laws, and has been greatly blessed, and we are the recipient as well of those blessings. And if we look at the Bible, and we could go through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we could talk about this law, this law of sowing and reaping.

When you stop and think about Adam and Eve, they reaped what they sowed, didn't they? They listened to the serpent. They listened to the devil. They listened to Satan. They reaped the consequences. They were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. And just throughout the entire Bible, we can see this law in effect. Cain and Abel. Cain slew Abel. There were consequences for that action. You can read about it in the Bible.

What about Noah? What about the flood that came upon the land because of the sins of mankind, and the choices that mankind was making? People were reaping what they had been sowing. And that law continues in effect today. In Genesis 26 verse 12, here it says, Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold.

And the Lord blessed him, the Eternal blessed him. Isaac was a farmer. He sowed in that land. He also had animals and so forth. But he was blessed. God blessed him a hundredfold. Because he had yielded to God and was obedient to God. He wasn't perfect, but overall his heart was good. And he was striving to obey and follow God. God doesn't expect us to be perfect in this life and in this flesh. But he does want us to yield to him and obey him.

In Leviticus chapter 25 verse 3, it says here that Israel was not to sow the land in the seventh year. But they were to reap more abundantly. They were to have rain and dew seas. And let's go to Leviticus chapter 25 and read a little bit of this. Leviticus chapter 25, this law of sowing and reaping is throughout the entire Bible.

We can see it in practically everything that's written about in the Bible. Leviticus chapter 25 verse 3, 6 years you shall sow your field, and 6 years you shall prune your vineyard and gather its fruit. But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the eternal. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. But, Rosa, of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap nor gather the grapes of your untended vines, for it is a year of rest for the land.

And, you know, God's laws were perfect. If the children of Israel had obeyed God's laws, if they had followed these laws, the law that we're talking about now every seventh year, if they had obeyed the laws of the year of the Jubilee, there would have been tremendous blessings.

There would have been such a blessing on the land of Israel that no one would have ever seen. No one has ever seen those kind of blessings. Had they been faithful, had they truly obeyed God, had they yielded to Him, had they done what He said, had they kept His laws. And in Leviticus 26, this is one of the blessing and cursing chapters, Leviticus 26. Let's read a little bit of this, starting in verse 1.

To the children of Israel, you shall not make idols for yourselves, neither a carved image nor a sacred pillar shall you rear up for yourselves. Of course, they did that, though, didn't they?

Nor shall you set up an engraved stone in your land to bow down to it. For I am the Eternal, your God. God wanted to be worshipped. God deserved to be worshipped. And yet the children of Israel did not yield to God. They did not obey Him. They did not follow Him. You shall keep my Sabbaths, and you shall reverence my sanctuary. I am the Eternal. If you walk in my statutes and keep my commandments and perform them, then I will give you rain in its season. The land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the fields shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage.

And the vintage, at the time when they would harvest the grapes, the time of vintage and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing. You shall eat your bread to the full, and you shall dwell in your land safely. God was going to put a hedge about them, to put a shield about them. He was going to bless them in ways that no other nation had ever been blessed.

I will give peace in the land, verse 6, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. Just think of that, to be in a land where no one's afraid. That's not true in this country, is it? Many people are afraid. Continually, it seems.

I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not go through your land. You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. Five of you shall chase a hundred. A hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight. Your enemies shall fall by the sword before you. There was no way that their enemies would be able to stand against them. God was with them. God was blessing them.

Verse 9, for I will look on you favorably, and I will make you fruitful. I will multiply you and confirm my covenant with you. You shall eat the old harvest and clear out the old because of the new. In other words, it's going to be continual blessings throughout the entire year. They would never be in want. They would never be lacking. There would be no famines. God was going to bless them and be with them in every way.

You shall eat the old harvest and clear out the old because of the new. I will set my tabernacle among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be my people. And they didn't have to be perfect, either. They didn't have to be perfect, but they had to be obedient and repentant. They had to yield to God and obey Him and follow Him.

I am the eternal God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. I have broken the bands of your yoke, and I have made you walk upright. But if you do not obey me, and you do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise my statutes, or if your soul abhors my judgments, so that you do not perform all my commandments but break my covenant, I also will do this to you.

I will even appoint terror over you. I'm not going to go ahead and read all of the curses that were going to fall upon them if they chose to disobey God, but of course we know that that is what they chose. And eventually, they all went into captivity. You know, the house of Israel went into captivity, the house of Judah went into captivity. They all paid a tremendous price for their disobedience and for their unfaithfulness.

But God had laid it out for them if they would be obedient, and if they would sow good seed, which means be obedient and just do as God asked you to do, and when you mess up, ask God to forgive you, and believe that He will, then there would be tremendous blessings upon the children of Israel. And they would be a model nation, and that's the opportunity that they had. But of course, they weren't faithful, and they paid the price for that. They paid the consequences for their disobedience and their unfaithfulness.

So it's really a sad story. That's a sad commentary. But it is the truth, and it is cataloged in the Bible. Just, you know, just tremendous blessings upon the children of Israel if they would obey God, if they would follow Him, if they would allow Him to be their God, and if they would be His people, if they would just humble themselves and submit to God and trust Him and have faith in Him, and believe in Him.

You know, He did lead them out of bondage. He did take them out of Egypt, where they had been in bondage. He did miraculously protect them in the wilderness. He was with them. There was ample evidence that He was real. And yet they were a stubborn people. They were a stiff-necked people. They were not, for the most part, a converted people. And they reaped the consequences of their unfaithfulness and their disobedience. Let's go to Deuteronomy 11.

We'll read in verse 8. Deuteronomy 11, verse 8. Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong and go in and possess the land which you cross over to possess. So God put up with a lot from the children of Israel, but He still was going to allow them to go into the Promised Land.

Yes, they suffered because of their disobedience and their unfaithfulness, but God was still willing to overlook and to forgive and to give them opportunities. I mean, God was not quick to punish them in many respects. He was very merciful. He was very patient with them. Verse 9. And that you may prolong your days in the land, which the eternals were to give your fathers, to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.

For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden. But the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Eternal, your God, cares.

The eyes of the Lord, your God, are always on it. See, in Egypt, they were underwater along the Nile for several months. It would overflow its banks. And where the Nile didn't reach, it was desert. So, it was not the perfect land to be living in. God took them out of Egypt. He brought them to a beautiful land, a promised land. And He promised that He would be with them to bless them if they would just yield to Him and obey Him. Verse 12, The land for which the Lord, your God, cares, the eyes of the Lord, your God, are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.

And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments, which I command you today, to love the Lord, your God, and serve Him with all of your heart, with all of your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain your new wine and your oil, and I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.

Take heed to yourselves lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them. So He warned them. He gave them warnings. He told them what they needed to do.

But they didn't listen to God. They were a stiff-necked and a rebellious people. They certainly paid the consequences for their decisions. They reaped what they sowed. They were not reaping good seed because they were sowing... They were not reaping a good harvest because they were sowing bad seed. They were turning away from God and not being faithful and obedient to Him. And the Bible chronicles all of this, how they began to worship other gods, how they just sinned in so many different ways.

They broke God's Sabbath repeatedly. They broke all of the commandments. They were not trustworthy. They were not faithful. So the first point in regard to the law of sowing and reaping is that God intended that His chosen people would be greatly blessed if they would sow good seed by keeping His laws and by keeping His ways.

There were blessings for obedience. There were curses. Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28 catalogs all the blessings that would come through obedience and also all the curses that would come through disobedience. And yet they were disobedient, even though God told them clearly what to expect. So they were without excuse in that sense. Let's go on to a second point. He who diligently sows good seed will reap the blessings from God that He intended for His people. There are also individual blessings for those who sow good seed. They will reap the blessings from God that He intends for His people.

Let's look at some of those scriptures. Let's look at Psalm 107. Psalm 107 verse 31. Psalm 107 verse 31. I'm not in the right place, am I? Psalm 107. Yeah, I'm in the wrong place. No, I'm in the wrong place, but I told you the right verse. Psalm 107 verse 31. Oh, that man would give thanks to the Eternal for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men.

Let them exalt him also in the assembly of the people and praise him in the company of the elders. He turns rivers into a wilderness and the water springs into dry ground, a fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of those who dwell in it. He turns a wilderness into pools of water and dry land into water springs. There he makes the hungry dwell that they may establish a city for a dwelling place, and so fields and plant vineyards that they may yield a fruitful harvest.

He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly, and he does not let their cattle decrease. There are blessings for obedience, there are curses for disobedience, and God has always been faithful to that law. Verse 39, when they are diminished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow, he pours contempt on princes.

He causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way, yet he sets the poor on high, far from affliction, and he makes their families like a flock. The righteous see it, and they rejoice, and all iniquity stops its mouth. Whoever is wise shall observe these things, and they will understand the loving-kindness of the Eternal. You know, it's in the Bible we should understand these things. God loves His people. God wants us to flourish. God wants to bless us. God wants to pour out all the rich blessings upon us. But He does ask for one thing.

He does ask that we yield ourselves and obey Him. Not perfectly. He doesn't expect us to be perfect, does He? But He does expect us to give it our best effort. And the children of Israel were certainly not giving it their best effort.

They were falling short in many, many respects. They were paying the consequences for that. Wickedness does bring curses. That's what we learn from the Bible. Righteousness does bring blessings. Now, that doesn't mean that the righteous person might not go through some trials, as we well understand or should understand from reading the Bible ourselves, that God allows the righteous to suffer as well.

Look at Job. Dan Hines gave a sermon about that. A split sermon a couple weeks ago, or maybe it was last Sabbath, where he talks about this very thing. God does certainly bless us if we obey Him, if we follow Him. And God was very pleased with His servant Job. Job wasn't perfect, though. Job had things to learn. Satan came along, and God allowed Satan to mess with Job.

And Job became a better person because of it. Job became a more faithful person because of what God allowed to happen to him. So God does allow suffering at times upon those who are faithful and true and are righteous people. He tests us, and we have to be up to that test. In Psalm 126, let's go there for a moment. Psalm 126, verse 5.

Psalm 126, verse 5. Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. There are times when life is difficult. Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing. So if we just stay faithful throughout whatever God allows to come our way, if we're still faithful, then God will certainly bless us in the end. Bring his shes with him. So we need to have great faith that God will never leave us, and He will never forsake us. So even if He allows some difficult things to come our way, He has promised that He's not going to leave us, He's not going to forsake us, so we can know He's right there for us throughout those trials, and He can give us the strength to endure and to overcome and to grow in those trials.

In Matthew 6, if we go there into the New Testament for a moment, Matthew 6, and this is obviously a part of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6, verse 25, Matthew 6, verse 25, Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on is not life more than food and the body more than clothing. Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? You know, God considers us who are made in His image. The birds are not made in His image. You know, the cows, the creeping things, those things are not made in God's image, but we are made in God's image. And God loves us, He cares for us, He wants the very best for us. God provides for all of His creatures, He will surely provide for us. Of course, when we sow good seed, He will provide a bountiful harvest for us as well. Just to illustrate this principle in a way, sometimes good things happen to people if they make some good decisions in their life, even just anyone out there. Every day for close to seven years, Walter Buck Swords cursed and stomped his feet in his favorite restaurant, which was Luby's Cafeteria. He was a pretty cantankerous guy. He demanded that he get his food exactly as he wanted it. Every day for close to seven years, his preferred waitress, Melina Salazar, offered a patient smile and did whatever she could to help her most stubborn customer. He wasn't always nice to her either. After years of thankless service, he didn't really thank her. He was a bad hombre. Salazar was rewarded, however, when Swords died at 89 years old, just days before Christmas, it says, back in 2007, he left Salazar $50,000. Not a bad tip! That's a pretty good tip for any of you who wait on tables. He also gave her a car. So it was a 2000 Buick. It was seven years old, but it was still a pretty decent car. I mean, both of my cars are older than that. So she was pretty blessed. $50,000 cash and a car. I still can't believe it, she said. After all, he was always kind of mean. That's what she had to say about him. He was always pretty mean, but he left her a lot of money.

She sewed what she reaped. If she would have been nasty to him, like probably so many other people, do you think he would have given her $50,000? Not likely, right? It is a law that really does work in many respects. Not that we're all going to get $50,000 if we're waitresses and we take care of some old cantankerous guy, we probably won't get anything except abuse in most cases. But once in a while, by the way, this came from USA Today back in December of 2007. This was written here where a man leaves $50,000 and a Buick to a waitress.

So you never really quite know how you might be rewarded for good works. I'm sure she never dreamed this old guy was going to leave her anything. So every time you make a choice, in a sense, you are turning yourself into something a little different from what you were before. Every time you make a choice, every time you make a decision, if you make a good decision, you become a little bit better. If you make a bad decision, I mean a wrong decision, an ungodly decision, then you tear down a little bit of character.

So it's really important the choices that we make, and I think we should pay more attention to the daily choices, to the hourly choices that we make. Sometimes they can have tremendous consequences upon us.

You might remember Bruce Barton. He was a U.S. writer and a politician. He was born in 1886 and lived in 1967. He said, every time you make a choice, you are turning yourself into something a little different from what you were before.

He said, sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think that there are no little things.

There are no little things. In some cases, those little things can become quite large.

William Alexander, in a book entitled, The $64 Tomato, he says, if you were doomed to live the same life over and over again for eternity, would you choose the life that you are living now?

The question is interesting enough, but I've always thought the point of asking it is really the unspoken, potentially devastating, follow-up question. That is, if the answer is no, then why are you living the life you are living now?

So stop making excuses and do something about it.

So if you were doomed to live the same life over and over again for eternity, would you choose the life that you are living right now?

It's a good question to contemplate from time to time.

So the second point in regard to reaping and sowing is that he who diligently sows good seed will reap the blessings from God that he does intend for his people. It's a law that is put into motion. We do reap what we sow. There are consequences for the choices and the decisions that we make.

And we should be mindful of that when we go throughout our lives. How is this decision going to affect me in the long run?

Should we take these decisions lightly?

I think oftentimes when we decide to sin, we take those decisions way too lightly.

Maybe we don't want to think about it because there's something that we really want to do, something that we're desiring to do that isn't really healthy, it's not good for us.

But we want to do it and carnally, the flesh wants to do whatever it is.

And so we get into the flesh without really thinking about the consequences, the long-term consequences. What kind of an impact could this have over the long run?

Good consequential reasoning. I remember when I was at Ambassador College.

I think Dr. Ward gave a forum once on consequential reasoning.

You ought to really think about the consequences of your actions, of what you're deciding to do, what are going to be the consequences. Oftentimes you can look ahead and you can figure out a lot of the consequences for whatever full-brained idea that you might be contemplating in your mind.

So it would be wise to have good consequential reasoning. Think about the consequences.

If I do this, what's going to happen? What's likely to happen?

Should I really do this? Is this a good decision? Rather than just do it, it's much better to think about it first, to consider it, to contemplate it, and then make the right choice.

Let's go on to a third element in the sermon.

He who sows bad seed will reap the consequences and will bring upon himself an automatic curse to some degree.

If you sow bad seed, then you're going to reap the consequences of that bad seed.

You might remember what Fred Allen, a U.S. comedian, said some time ago.

I think he died in 1956, so it's been a while.

But he said most of us spend the first six days of each week sowing wild oats, and then we go to church on Sunday and we pray for a crop failure. You've probably heard that before. That's not a wise thing to do.

We should circumspect how we live each day of our life and how we live each hour of our lives.

Let's go to the book of Hosea for a moment and consider what God says here in the book of Hosea. Hosea 8, verse 1. Hosea 8, verse 1.

Here it says, Set the trumpet to your mouth.

He shall come like an eagle against the house of the Eternal, because they have transgressed my covenant, and they rebelled against my law.

Israel will cry to me, My God, we know you.

Israel has rejected the good.

The enemy will pursue him.

Again, Israel reaped what they had sown.

God was merciful. God didn't extract the consequences right away.

But eventually, everything came to roost because of their bad, ungodly choices, their decisions.

They both ended up going into captivity.

The house of Israel obviously went into captivity first, but then the house of Judah went into captivity.

They reaped what they had sown.

Verse 4. They set up kings, but not by me.

They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them.

From their silver and gold, they made idols for themselves, that they might be cut off.

And they should have known better, shouldn't they?

So they were to be God's chosen people.

They were a nation that had God as their God.

And God gave them his commandments.

God gave them his servants.

God gave them his prophets.

You know, there was plenty of good reason why they could make it as a nation.

But, of course, they yielded to their own flesh and to Satan the devil.

They were more than they did to God and his desires and his wishes for them.

Verse 6. For from Israel is even this, a workman made it, and it is not God.

But the calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.

They made certain idols that they bowed down and worshipped.

They sowed the wind, and they reaped the whirlwind.

The stalk has no bud. It shall never produce meal if it should produce.

I'm sorry, I'm having a difficult time reading some of this.

This light is not perfect up here.

Israel swallowed up. Now they are among the Gentiles like a vessel in which is no pleasure.

For they have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey alone by itself. Ephraim has hired lovers. Yes, though they have hired among the nations, now I will gather them, and they shall sorrow a little because of the burden of the king of princes.

Because Ephraim has made many altars for sin.

They have become for him altars for sinning.

I have written for him the great things of my law.

For they were considered a strange thing. Now, God's law was perfect. That's what Romans tells us, that God's law was perfect.

There was no fault in the law of God. The fault was in the people.

The fault was that the people wouldn't obey God's law.

They wouldn't humble themselves before God and before his law.

Verse 13, for the sacrifices of my offerings, they sacrifice flesh and eat it, but the eternal does not accept them.

Now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.

They shall return to Egypt. They shall return to sin and the consequences of sin.

They sowed the wind. They reaped the whirlwind.

There was tremendous curses upon Israel because of their disobedience to God.

They could have been that model nation that we talked about earlier. Instead, they became a disgrace and they brought disgrace upon God.

Look at where we are at today in this earth.

How many people don't even believe in God?

There could have been a model nation that could have been a strong beacon.

Of course, God's plan allows for Israel and their sins and what they've done.

It's all going to work out according to plan.

God's will is perfect. God knows the end from the beginning. God knows what's happening.

But he does reveal all of this in his word.

It's really very intriguing when you know God's truth and you understand why things are the way they are, and why we see such a mess in the world today, and why it's been like this for thousands of years.

It all makes sense when you understand the Bible. When God opens your heart and your mind to know the truth and understand it, it makes sense. It's very comforting to know these truths.

A 2000 survey conducted by researchers at Florida State University discovered what employees who endure abuse from their bosses retaliate with poor performance. I just wanted to share these findings with you.

You know, God was always faithful to Israel. He was always faithful to them. He was always there for them. He was there to hear their prayers, to answer their prayers, to be there for them. It was he who was rejected by them, not the other way around.

It's interesting that this survey of Florida State University employees who endure abuses by their bosses, how they retaliated with poor performance.

Now, God was a good boss. God was a good God, and yet they turned against him. But even today, we see the consequences for bad behavior. Abusive behaviors included the silent treatment, general avoidance and ignoring emails and other correspondence, personal put-downs, broken promises, managers blaming their mistakes on employees to save face. Employees with difficult bosses responded in the following ways. So again, we do reap what we sow. That law is an effect. It's always been an effect. It says that 30% slowed production or purposely made errors, compared to 6% who reported no abuse. So those who had abusive bosses that really didn't treat them with respect, 30% slowed down production or purposely made errors, compared to only 6% who reported no abuse. Still, they weren't perfect by any means even then. 29% took sick days off when they were not ill, compared to only 4% of those that were not abused. 27% purposely avoided their bosses, compared to 4% of those who were not abused. So even those who were not abused avoid their bosses. There's something about a boss that we try to stay away if we can. 25% took longer breaks, compared with 7% of those who were not abused. So it's interesting, this law of we reap what we sow, we can see it in every aspect of life. What I just read to you was from an article entitled, Abused Workers Fight Back by Slacking Off. I mean, just about anywhere you look, you can find this law in effect. It works. The law of sowing and reaping. When bosses are not treating their employees well, there will be a backlash. There will be consequences for that. Now, this was from Lifescience.com back in 2007. What I just read to you about that survey. Now, let's go to the book of Job, chapter 4. Job chapter 4, verse 8. Job 4, verse 8. It says, Those who sow wickedness... Let's go to verse 8. Let's read the entire verse here. Job chapter 4, verse 8. Even as I have seen those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. Those who sow wickedness reap the same. That's what Job said, and that's a true statement. Those who sow wickedness are going to reap the same. So, whatever we do, if we're sowing righteousness and goodness, we're going to reap the same. It's a law that God has put into effect, and it's one that we can count on. Let's go to Proverbs chapter 6, verse 14 for a moment. Proverbs chapter 6, verse 14. Proverbs chapter 6 and verse 14. Proversity is in his heart. He devises evil continually. He sows discord. This is mankind. This is basically describing mankind in general. Proversity is in his heart. He devises evil continually. He sows discord. Therefore, his carnality shall come suddenly. Suddenly, he shall be broken without remedy. In other words, he's going to reap what he's been sowing. It's something that you really can't get away from. It's a law.

Those who sow perversity will reap that in their own lives. In Proverbs 6, verse 19, it says, God hates the action of one who sows discord among brethren. There are consequences for those who sow discord among brethren. There will be consequences to pay for that. God isn't mocked. There are certain laws that are in effect. And when we break those laws, they break us. They cause problems for us. In Proverbs 11, verse 18, it says, The wicked man does deceptive work, but he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward. The wicked man does deceptive work. He's always trying to deceive, trying to get by cutting corners, doing things that he thinks are going to help him. But they really end up hurting him in the long run. Because God is not mocked. God's laws work. When we practice God's laws, we will be blessed for them. When we disobey God's laws, then we're going to pay a price for that. He who sows righteousness is going to have a sure reward. You can count on it. Proverbs 16, verse 28 says, A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends.

So someone who is perverse in their thinking and in their action, they're going to sow strife among people. You know, we can see it. Oftentimes in our relationships with certain people, they're just bent on sowing strife and causing trouble, causing problems. And it can be very discouraging. It can really put some roadblocks in our ways. A perverse man sows strife, a whisperer separates the best of friends. So we're talking about gossip, how he can separate the best of friends. Someone who whispers, goes behind people's backs, is sowing discord among brethren. You know, God hates that. God hates that type of behavior. And there are consequences for it. We do reap what we sow.

Let's go on to a last point. God's most important seed is you, and he will reap what he has sown in you. So let's go to Matthew 13 for a moment, and we're going to go through the parable of the sower here. Matthew 13.

Again, God isn't mocked. You know, God's laws are true. They're perfect. They work. We reap what we sow. And this is a law that is in effect. It's been in effect. It continues to be in effect. Sometimes, again, God is merciful, and we don't pay the consequences right away. Sometimes it takes a while, and sometimes God is very forgiving. And we don't reap the full extent of what we deserve.

In fact, none of us do. We can thank God for that. But again, God isn't mocked. God's law is true. It's perfect. It's righteous. It's faithful. And it's something that we can always count on. Let's go to Matthew 13 again for a moment. Let's go through this parable together. Matthew 13, verse 1. On the same day Jesus went out of the house, and he sat by the sea, and great multitudes were gathered together to him, so that he got into a boat, and sat, and the whole multitude stood on the shore. He spoke many things to them in parable, saying, Behold, a sower went out to sow.

And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured that seed. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth, and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.

But others fell on good ground, and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty and some thirty. So it was all good. Thirty-fold's not bad. Sixty isn't bad. A hundred's better. But the good ground yielded very good fruit. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Now, I don't think we need to go through the next few verses, but let's drop down to verse 18. Therefore, hear the parable of the sower.

When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches it away. Satan will come along and snatch it away. If it hasn't taken root in us, then rest assured that Satan will be there to snatch it away. But with sown in his heart, this is he who receives seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.

We've seen these type of people that have come in and out of our doors, frankly. Sometimes they don't last very long. They don't stick. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. No, he falls. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

Rather than staying faithful and continuing to produce fruit, he becomes unfruitful. He becomes inward. He doesn't look to God for the strength that he needs. He doesn't look to God for the help that he needs. And so he becomes unfruitful. Verse 23, but he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces some 100-fold, some 60, and some 30.

So we might say that many of you have been in the church a long, long time. You know, this scripture is being fulfilled in your life, in your life personally. You received the seed. It fell on good ground. You allowed it to take root in your life. It has dictated the choices that you've made for many, many years. Some of you have been very, very faithful over many, many years.

Fifty years, in some cases. You know, you've been faithful for a long time, some longer than that. And you continue to remain faithful. And there are great blessings in being faithful to God's truth. And being able to produce a 100-fold, 60-fold, or some 30. Even 30 isn't bad. You know, that's still a good increase, isn't it? 30 times. 60 times, 100 times. Verse 24, another parable, He put forth to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

But while men slept, the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares? He said to them, An enemy has done this.

The servant said to him, Do you want us then to go and gather them up? But he said, No, lest while you gather up the tares, you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. And at the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, First gather together the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.

God knows where the good fruit is. He knows who's faithful, who's true, and he knows who the tares are. God knows that there will be tares that come among us at times. God warns us of those things that will happen. But God also shows us very clearly that there will be tremendous blessings on those who are faithful and who remain faithful throughout the years. Now, many of you have been very blessed for many years because you've been faithful to God. It hasn't been easy, I'm sure, in many respects, to follow God, to obey Him, to serve Him, to keep the Sabbath, to keep the Holy Days, to lose jobs.

Those things have happened to many of us because we wanted to be faithful, and we chose to be faithful, and we continue to be faithful. God's most important seed is you, and he will reap what he has sown in you. Let's go to Isaiah 40 for a moment. Consider what's written here in this context. Isaiah 40, verse 24. Yeah, let's read verse 24. Scarcely shall they be planted, scarcely shall they be sown, scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth. When he will also blow on them, and they will wither, and the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.

Some people don't last very long. They get blown away very easily, very quickly. To whom then will you liken me, or to whom shall I be equal, says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things. Who brings out their host by number. He calls them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and by the strength of his power. No one is missing. Not one is missing. Not one of God's chosen is missing. God knows how to preserve his children. He knows how to take care of them.

Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, my way is hidden from the eternal, and my just claim is passed over by my God? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Eternal, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might, he increases strength.

Those who humble themselves before God will be given strength in due time. God does take care of his people.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young man shall utterly fall. But those who wait on the Eternal, those who wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. So there is tremendous blessing on those who stay faithful. Those who are faithful that have sown good seed, and continue to sow good seed, continue to make good decisions. You know, none of us are perfect, are we? We all fall short, but are we repentant? Are we a repentant people? Does it matter when we sin? Does it hurt you when you sin?

When you sin against God, is it something that you take very seriously? Is it, you know, do you get to your knees and ask God to forgive you? Is it something that you really take to heart? You know, God wants a sensitive people. He wants people who have sensitive hearts, who are repentant people. God grants repentance, but He grants it because of our attitude, our approach, our desire to serve Him, our will to serve Him. You know, we do reap what we sow, and we should never take our calling lightly.

We should never take our sins lightly. You know, sometimes people get in a habit of sinning, and they seem to think that somehow that's okay. It's not okay, because we will reap what we sow. And if we continue to sow bad seed, eventually it will catch up with us. It's going to hurt us. And again, God's oftentimes merciful. God could bring embarrassment upon us. He could bring embarrassment upon our families. There are consequences for our sins.

And again, God is often very merciful and doesn't always bring those things to roost right away. But there are consequences for our decisions. There are consequences for our actions. God certainly blesses those who make those good decisions, who are true and faithful to Him, who put Him first in their lives, who seek God first with all their heart, with all their soul, with all their might.

And God blesses them, and God rewards them, and God is with them. And we can see many, many blessings that do come upon God's people. But sometimes God allows trials, doesn't He? He allows hardships. And that's when we're really tested, is when God allows these things to affect us and to impact us, even when it's not our own fault, even when we haven't really done anything, per se. Although we probably have done something, haven't we? Who knows exactly why things happen to us? None of us are perfect, so... So we do reap what we've sown in many respects, but again, God is very gracious.

God is very merciful. He's loving. He's kind. He's compassionate to us. Let's go to Proverbs 24, and let's read this proverb about a fruitful, productive vineyard. Proverbs chapter 24. Proverbs 24 verse 30. Proverbs 24 verse 30. I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man, devoid of understanding. Hopefully this doesn't describe any of us, but I'm afraid at times it has described me. There have been times when I've probably seen this way, and was this way, the vineyard of the man, devoid of understanding, and there it was, all overgrown with thorns.

Its surface was covered with nettles. Its stone wall was broken down. When I saw it, I considered it well. I looked on it and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest. So shall your poverty come like a prowler, in your need like an armed man. We do need to be diligent in how we live our lives, brethren.

A fruitful, productive vineyard is a thing of beauty, one that's taken well care of. There's actually a vineyard not far from where I live. It's really very well manicured. I think it's called the Midas vineyards in McKinney. And it's really a thing of beauty. But here's the thing about vineyards. They don't just happen by themselves. Vineyards don't just spring up by accident. Someone is behind them.

The writer of Proverbs 24 here says, I was going past a vineyard and it was a mess. There were thorns all over the place. The grounds were covered with weeds. The walls were falling down. So there's a lot of angst behind this proverb. You have to understand that in the ancient Middle East, a piece of land capable of growing crops is one of the most valuable things in the world. To be the owner of a vineyard was to be blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime.

So how well are you taking care of your vineyard? The vineyard that God has given you. How well are you taking care of your life? That is your vineyard. Is it a very fruitful vineyard? Now, in the last days, God is going to reap the earth, it says. Let's go to Revelation 14. Revelation 14. This is a very interesting passage of Scripture as well. Revelation 14.14. Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud, sat one like the Son of Man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice, to him who sat on the cloud, thrust in your sickle and reap, for the time has come for you to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

So he who sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. Now, this is talking about the last days, the end days. Then another angel came out of the temple, which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, thrust in your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.

So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the grape winepress of the wrath of God. Now, God is going to pour out his fury upon the earth for their sins. Now, a lot of people don't believe God even exists today. They don't believe he's for real. God is mocked by billions of people. The vast majority of this earth has gone astray.

They believe lies. They don't believe what you and I have been privileged to know and understand. This is what it's talking about here. The earth is going to be reaped. Verse 20, and the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress up to the horses' bridles for 1,600 furlong. That's a long, long way. There's going to be a lot of blood in the future because of the sins of mankind and because of God pouring his wrath down upon a sinning world that has not repented of his sins.

God will reap the earth in the last days. But the firstfruits are going to rule and reign with Christ at his return. The book of Revelation also talks about that, how the firstfruits will rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years at his return. In Hosea chapter 10, as we conclude the sermon, let's go there for a moment and consider this last verse.

Hosea chapter 10 verse 12. Hosea chapter 10 verse 12. So for yourselves, righteousness, reap, and mercy. God isn't mocked, the Bible says. God knows his children. God knows who he's called now. God knows who he's holding accountable right now. He's holding us accountable. It doesn't mean that others aren't going to be punished for their sins. It doesn't mean that those who are alive at the return of Christ, that there won't be a reckoning for mankind's sins. But certainly, God isn't mocked. He says, so for yourselves, righteousness, reap, and mercy. Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord.

It is time to repent of whatever sins we need to repent of. It's time to become more dedicated and more committed to God. He says, it's time to seek the Lord till he comes and reigns righteousness on you. Now, that hasn't happened yet. I mean, not, yes, we can bear good fruit now. God does, in a sense, reign righteousness on us as we yield to him, as he lives in us, as Christ lives in us.

The Bible talks about Christ living in us. Christ lives in us, helps us make good decisions, helps us make right decisions. And so, we are blessed because of those decisions that we make. Verse 13, you have plowed wickedness, you have reaped iniquity, you have eaten the fruit of lies because you trusted in your own way.

In the multitude of your mighty men, therefore two malts shall arise among your people, and all your fortresses shall be plundered. As Shalman plundered Beth Arbo in the day of battle, a mother dashed in pieces upon her children. Thus it shall be done to you, O Beth El, because of your great wickedness. At dawn the king of Israel shall be cut off utterly. There will be a day of reckoning. There will be a time when all of this comes to fruition. And the book of Revelation talks about it. God is going to reap the earth in the last days. And it's not going to be a pretty sight when that happens, because all of the sins of mankind are going to come back to roost, you might say, and it's going to be a difficult time. Now is our day of salvation. Now is our time to dedicate ourselves fully to learning what this law of sowing and reaping is all about. It is a very powerful law, this law of sowing and reaping. What kind of seed will you sow from now on? Will you be more careful in the seed that you sow? I know I haven't always been careful about the seed I've sown. I've made bad decisions at times. I've sown. I've known better and I've done it anyway. Out of weakness, I would imagine that everyone here has done the same thing. I think we're all in this together. We're all God's people, but God wants us to be a repentant people. He wants us to be able to see our sins. And there are many ways to sin, are there not? Many, many ways to sin. Just think about it. Just the Ten Commandments in the letter and in the spirit of the law. Just when you extrapolate those Ten Commandments, it covers a lot of ground, doesn't it? So what type of harvest are you going to reap from now on? The choice really is yours. I mean, you've been faithful. You're still here. You've remained faithful throughout the years. Many of you have been doing this for a long time. God is pleased. He's glad that you are not weary in well-doing. That you haven't become weary, but there's been an attrition as well over the years. And we've seen people come and go. And why they come and why they go? God knows. And perhaps they know, perhaps they don't know. But God isn't mocked. That I do know. God isn't mocked. The choice is ours on whether or not we truly humble ourselves before God. So make God's law of sowing and reaping work for you. It will work for you. It has worked for you. You're here, no doubt, because you've been implementing this law of sowing and reaping. So righteousness and you will enjoy the blessings of a godly lifestyle today. There are many blessings that come through obedience. You know, God isn't mocked. We all know that. We've all been greatly blessed because of obedience. There are many blessings that have come your way because of choices that you made. You've been blessed because of it. So righteousness and enjoy the blessings of a godly lifestyle today. There are many blessings of a godly lifestyle that God pours upon His people. So righteousness and you will reap eternal abundant life. You know, that's what the Bible tells us. That's the story of the Bible, that if we stay faithful, if we remain faithful to the end, if we endure to the end, the same will be saved. So we've been fighting the good fight for a long time, many of us for many, many years. Now is not the time to let down. Now is the time to realize that we do reap what we sow. It's important that we sow good seed.