SOWING AND REAPING

- FACT OR FICTION

2 Corinthians 9:6-8

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 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.

I.       SOWING AND REAPING IN GENERAL

1.Universal Law

                        Genesis 8:22

While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”

                  2. Life Principle

A.    Judge Not

Luke 6:37

Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned…..

B.     Forgive

Luke 6:37

Forgive, and you will be forgiven….

C.     Be Merciful

Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

  

II.   SOWING AND REAPING FINANCES

1.     Sowing and Reaping is Different from Tithing

A.    Tithing is Essential, but it’s distinct from sowing

1.     Abraham started it before the Law

Genesis 14:17-20

17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale. 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed, be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

2.      Jacob continued it

Genesis 28:22

22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

3.     Moses legalized it

 Leviticus 27:30-32

30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord. 31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord.

4.     Jesus commanded it

Matthew 23:23

23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

B.    Tithing Releases Blessing and Rebukes the Devourer

Malachi 3:8-11

Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the Lord of hosts;

C.     Sowing Finances For Purpose of Harvest?????

2 Corinthians 9:1-10

Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you; 2 for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority. 3 I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready; 4 lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this confident boasting. 5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. 6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 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. 9 As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” 10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increased the fruits of your righteousness

Luke 6:38

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Proverbs 11:24-25

There is one who scatters, yet increases more, And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. 25 The generous soul will be made rich,

And he who waters will also be watered himself.

HARVEST II

Wealth Transfer

I.                   HARVEST REQUIRES EXPECTATION

1.      Work with expectation

Proverbs 10:5

⁵ He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.

2.      Supernatural release through expectation

Proverbs 23:18

¹⁸  For surely there is an end, And thy expectation shall not be cut off.

I.                   WEALTH TRANSFER

Deuteronomy 8:18

¹⁸ “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Proverbs 13:22

²² A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

Proverbs 19:17 He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord,  And He will pay back what he has given.

Proverbs 28:8

⁸ One who increases his possessions by usury and extortion Gathers it for him who will pity the poor.

Ecclesiastes 6:2

² A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires, yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction.

 Ecclesiastes 2:26

²⁶ For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner, He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Job 27:13-17

¹³ “This is the portion of a wicked man with God, And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty: ¹⁴ If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread. ¹⁵        Those who survive him shall be buried in death, And their widows shall not weep, ¹⁶ Though he heaps up silver like dust, And piles up clothing like clay— ¹⁷ He may pile it up, but the just will wear it, And the innocent will divide the silver.

Haggai 2:6-9

⁶ “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; ⁷ and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. ⁸ ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts.

II.                BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF THE WEALTH TRANSFER

1.      Jesus Experienced a Wealth Transfer

Luke 8:1-3

Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, ² and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, ³ and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.

2.      Moses from Egypt

Exodus 32:21-22

²¹ And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?” ²² So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people that they are set on evil.

3.      Abraham

Genesis 12:14-13:2

¹⁴ So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. ¹⁵ The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. ¹⁷ But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. ¹⁸ And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now, therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” ²⁰ So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had. Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. ² Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold

Isaac

Genesis 26:1-3

There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar. ² Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. ³ Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham, your father.

4.      Jacob

Genesis 30; 25 – 32

                  Laban’s wealth transferred  (Took 90% of Laban's wealth with Him)

Answer Key: EXPECTATION; good man; increases his possessions; Wealth Transfer

HARVEST

The Seven Laws of Harvest!

I.                    SEASONS

Gen 8:22

²² “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.”

Seasons bring about an aligning of resources that make a breakthrough possible.

II.                  THE SEVEN LAWS OF HARVEST

1.      We reap only what has been sown.

(But we are not the only ones who can sow)

a.       Common Grace. 

Matt 5:45

⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

b.       Sovereignty of God

Rom 9:16-23

¹⁶ So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. ¹⁷ For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” ¹⁸ Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.

c.       Reaping from Others Labors.

John 4:37-38

³⁷ For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ ³⁸ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”

d.       Harvest in our Bloodline we can reap

2 Sam 9:1

Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”…And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.”…⁷ So David said to him [Mephiboseth], “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather, and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”

- The Blood of Jesus can cancel out negative Harvest while preserving positive harvest

2.     We reap in the same kind as we sow

Gen 1:11-12

¹¹ Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. ¹² And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind.

John 3:6

⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit

Job 4:8

⁸ Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.

Eccl 10:8

⁸ He who digs a pit will fall into it…

3.     We reap in a different season than we sow

Eccl 11:1

Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days. ² Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

Gal 6:9-10

⁹ And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Eccl 11:6

⁶ In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good.

4.     We reap more than we sow

Hosea 8:7

⁷ “They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind.

Matt 13:23

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 a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Matthew 19:29-30

²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

* Receiving 100 fold is a 10,000% dividend on one investment

5.     We reap in proportion to what we sow

2 Cor 9:6-7

⁶ But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

Eccl 11:1-2; 6

Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. ² Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth… ⁶ In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good.

Luke 6:38

³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Prov 11:25

²⁵ The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.

Prov 19:17

¹⁷ He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given.

6.      We reap a full harvest of good only if we persevere evil comes to harvest on it’s own.

Matt 13:24-30; 36-43

²⁴ Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; ²⁵ but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. ²⁶ But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. ²⁷ 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?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ 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.” ’ 

7.     We can't-do anything about last years Harvest but we can about this one.

Phil 3:13-14

¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

** Jesus is Lord of the Harvest, but He must be activated

                        Matthew 9:37

³⁷ Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ^{38, therefore,} pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Pay Attention

Eternity

(Part 3)

I.                    PAY ATTENTION TO ETERNITY

1.     The Blessing of Death

1 Thessalonians 4:13

¹³ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.

·         When you are in Christ Death is not a bad thing…it’s God’s Mercy.  Psalm 116:15

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His Saints

·         The second death is what is bad

Revelations 20:14-15

¹⁴ And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

2.     Those who die in Christ will go to heaven

2 Corinthians  5:8

⁸ We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

3.     Jesus will Come Back

1 Thessalonians 4:16

¹⁶ For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

4.     When we are Raptured

1 Thessaloniansans 4:17

¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain [when Jesus returns] shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

5.     We will Receive New Bodies

1 Corinthians 15:51-57

“Behold I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”…

Philippians 3:19-21

²⁰ For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

6.     The Battle of Armageddon

Psalm 2:1-8

¹ Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? ² The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ³ “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” ⁴ He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. ⁵ Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: ⁶       “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion….” ⁸ Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. ⁹ You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ “

7.     Satan is bound for 1,000 years

Revelation 20:1-3

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. ² He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; ³ and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.

8.     We will receive rewards for our faithfulness on earth

a.      Rewards in our body

Daniels 12:3

3Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament…like the stars forever and ever.

Matthew 13:43

43The righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

                       

b.      Rewards in Heavenly Garments

Revelation 19:8

8To her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Revelations 3:5

5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments

c.       Rewards in Authority to Reign

Revelations 5:10

10And have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth.

Revelations 20:4

4I saw thrones, and they [the saints] sat on them, and judgment [decision-making] was committed to them…and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

d.      Rewards in Crowns

                   

2 Timothy 4:6-8  

⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

James 1:12

12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved [found consistent], he will receive the crown of life…a promised to those who love Him.

e.       Rewards in Communion with Jesus

Revelations 3:12

12 I will write on him the name of My God…and I will write on him My new name.

f.        Rewards of Praise from God

1 Corinthians 4:5

5 The Lord comes who will…reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

1 Peter 1:7

⁷ that the genuineness [trial] of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 25:21

²¹ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.

g.      Rewards of Heavenly gold, riches, and treasure

Matthew 6:20

20Lay up for yourselves treasures in heave

Luke 12:21,33

21 So is he who…is not rich toward God…33 Provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail.

9.     We reign on the earth for 1,000 years

Revelations 20:4

And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

10. The Final Test of Humanity

Revelations 20:7-10

⁷ Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸ and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. ⁹ They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. ¹⁰ The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

11.The Great White Throne Judgment

Revelations 20:11-15

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things, which were written in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. ¹⁴ Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵ And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

12.A New Heaven and New Earth

Revelations 21:1-4

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea. ² Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God, Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

1 Corinthians  15:58

⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.