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 Sermon > Theme Words of Life |
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Title |
The Law of Sowing and Reaping(4) - The Law of Sowing and Reaping (4) |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Galatians 6:7-9 |
Date |
2010-03-28 |
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[Passage]
Galatians 6:7-9
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. [8] For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. [9] Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary."
[Introduction]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This is the fourth session of 'The Law of Sowing and Reaping'.
To reap what we sow before God is not only about material gain.
Along with the material blessings, it includes all kinds of blessings that God gives to us when we give our time, effort, and all our life.
For example, Moses could have lived a comfortable life as a son of the princess in Egypt.
But he gave up all the wealth and honor and gave himself for the kingdom of God.
Then God made Moses like a god by attesting him with such amazing and great power.
God also gave him glory like the sun in Heaven.
In Moses' case, according to the law of sowing and reaping, he sowed all his life before God and reaped great power and glory.
Solomon gave God a thousand sacrifices with all his heart and reaped unprecedented wisdom from God.
God was so pleased with Solomon that He gave him fame, wealth, and a long life, without Solomon ever having asked.
The centurion Cornelius sowed almsgiving and good deeds and reaped the blessing of salvation of himself and his family.
In addition to just this, the law of sowing and reaping can be applied in all things.
We can sow faithfulness and reap the blessing of health. We can sow worship and prayer and reap the prosperity of the soul. We can sow material things and reap material things.
You are sowing diligently in spirit because you believe you reap the fruit of spirit when you sow in spirit.
You don't sow for the perishing things of this world but you sow for the glory of God in all things and you are reaping spiritual and material blessings.
And the ultimate fruit that we will get is the eternal life and glory of Heaven.
However, what do the worldly people sow?
They just sow in flesh and reap in flesh because they do not know the spiritual realm.
They diligently sow again and again in lust, wealth, fame, and social power, which worldly people consider valuable.
But the fruit of such things is meaningless vanity and death.
No matter how much they sow, and even though they can reap something seemingly good, all those things will perish and pass away.
You can sow in spirit and reap true blessings because you know about the eternal things that do not perish. How thankful a thing it is!
I hope you will keep in mind something when you listen to this message on the law of sowing and reaping.
You should not focus on material blessings. You have to make your soul prosper so the material blessings will follow you.
When you sow according to justice and with faith by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, God will be pleased and let you reap abundant fruit.
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will keep this message in heart, and your life will be filled with blessings throughout this year.
[Main]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, prior to this session, I explained the four ways to reap abundantly as we sow.
First, we have to cultivate our heart. Second, we have to keep Sunday holy and give proper tithes.
Third, we must not ask with greed, and fourth, we have to walk in righteousness.
Have you kept all of these four things in mind?
Next and fifth, in order for you to reap abundantly as you sow, you have to sow a lot.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says, "Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. [7] Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
No matter how large the field a farmer has, he can reap only as much as he sows.
For example, a farmer has 100 acres of field with good soil. Does that mean he can unconditionally get a full 100 acres of harvest?
No, he can harvest only to the extent that he has sown.
If he sowed in just one acre, he can reap only from that one acre.
If he sows in fifty acres, he can reap from those fifty acres.
And since his field has good soil, so he can reap more than other kinds of fields of the same area.
But even though the field has good soil, he cannot reap from ten acres when he has sown in only one acre.
You have to sow diligently in spirit, too.
Also, we can feel we've received blessings only when we sow much.
For example, you sow ten thousand won, and God gives you twice the amount.
Here, God can give you monetary blessing, or He might keep you from experiencing such losses as having a disease or a disastrous situation.
But since the amount sown is ten thousand won, when God gives you twice the amount, twenty thousand won, you cannot really feel you've received something.
But if you sow ten million won and God gives you twice the amount, you can easily recognize the blessing.
But we cannot say we've sown much just because the amount is great.
What God wants to receive from offerings is not the money itself.
God is the creator of all things. Gold and silver all belong to Him.
And what would God need money for?
It is not the money but the aroma of the heart that is important.
As God said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart is also," He wants to receive your heart contained in the offerings.
If you sow with boasting or bragging, or in stinginess, or by compulsion, it is not the kind of offering God is looking for.
We have to sow with our thanks for God's grace, and with faith and love, with all our mind.
In Mark chapter 12 Jesus watches some people giving their offerings in the treasury of the Temple.
Rich people put their gifts into the treasury out of their pride while boasting of the amount they were giving.
Meanwhile, a widow came and gave two copper coins.
It was just a little amount, barely enough to be able to buy a loaf of bread.
When Jesus saw this, He said, that the widow had given more than any other person there.
They gave some out of their abundance, but the widow had given from her living expenses.
It was such a little amount in other people's view, but for this widow it was such a great amount.
She could have risked skipping her meals after giving it to God.
She wasn't forced by anyone to give, but she still gave all she had. How lovely her heart was!
Because her offerings had this aroma of heart, it pleased God more than the offerings of other people.
That is why Jesus said she gave the most among all others.
Since I was a new believer, I have always tried to give to God more and more.
I learned about tithes in the first revival I attended, and that we must not come empty-handed when we come before God.
I just obeyed it since then.
In case of tithes, I didn't just give one tenth but much more than that; sometimes 20%, or 30% or more.
I didn't spend for myself first and then give from the rest. I always set apart the portion to give to God from my income.
Not only the tithes, but also for thanks offerings and other offerings, I prepare clean and new bills.
I never thought, "Isn't this too much with my income?" "Should I give a little less?" I tried my best as my heart was moved.
I was just thankful that I could give and I always thought of ways to give more.
Then, God gave me blessings that could not be compared with what I had given to Him.
Even when there seemed to be nothing left after giving everything, God filled me up again and again.
It's not only about monetary blessing. He never let me lack anything in all other aspects as well.
Brothers and sisters, those who are wise will diligently sow with faith, and they will not miss the special chances of blessings given by God.
For example, there are the biblical feasts and revival meetings.
Also, if we make a special vow to give construction offerings and keep it, He will certainly pay us back with blessings.
I never missed such special opportunities.
The New Year's service is one of the examples.
I prepare with all my faith because I believe God will bless me throughout the year.
We also have regular feasts like the Easter, Feast of Harvest, Thanksgiving Sunday, and Christmas.
For these occasions, I didn't just give from what I had, but I prepared my offerings beforehand and gave with my best.
Also, in devotional services, I gave with all my effort putting my devotion in the offerings, for it was as said, 'devotional service'.
Seeing some church members asking for financial blessings, I sometimes feel sorry for them.
It's because they do not show enough faith when we have special feasts or other occasions.
They have financial difficulties and received my prayer for them, but they do not show faith before God.
Of course, they may say they cannot give more because they don't have much.
But it is God's justice that we reap what we sow.
Because they don't have much, they have to show faith with all their heart to receive blessings.
As explained above, I am not saying you have to sow a great amount. I am talking about the kind of aroma of heart you are giving.
Which offering would have deeper aroma of heart; one million won of the person who has ten million won, and 500,000 won of the person who has only 1 million won?
When I see those who show their faith with all their best, my heart is touched and I want to help them, too.
And if you can show deeds that can move God's heart, He will surely give you the answers.
But there are many believers who say they want blessings, but they do not actually prepare the vessel to receive blessings.
I always gave with my best, and I never thought like, "I have to give again after this time, so I will deduct the amount this time."
Since I was healed of my diseases by God, and since I attended my first revival, I just gave to God as my heart was moved.
In that revival meeting, there was a time to make vowed offerings for the construction of the church of the speaker.
I wanted to give not to receive blessings, but to pay back for the grace I received, but I didn't have anything. So, I vowed to give in three months.
The amount of my whole rent of the house was 100,000 won, and I vowed to give 300,000 won.
Later I found out that my wife also thought of the same amount, and I could be reaffirmed that it was the work of the Holy Spirit.
When I had such inspiration, I fulfilled my vow, even by getting a loan.
Even then I was just thankful that I could give.
Ever since, whether big amount or small amount, I gave with my love and devotion as my heart was moved.
Every time, I sowed with firm faith that God would give me back with blessings.
Because I sowed with faith, I became more and more confident as I sowed more, as if I had a great amount in the balance in a bank account.
I believed God would give me as much as I asked, and I actually have received until this day.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in order to reap overflowing blessings as we sow, sixth, our faith and deeds must not change.
What would happen, if the farmer sows the seeds and stops caring for the crops or just digs up the field just because he doesn't see any fruits after a couple of months?
All this previous efforts would be in vain.
Once you sow, you have to take care of it until you reap. Also, you shouldn't just sow one thing but different kinds of things.
For example, when your main crops is rice, then you can also sow beans, lettuce, pepper, corns, or sweet potato around the rice paddies or on small fields.
You can also grow bean sprouts at home.
Some crops can be harvested after a year, but some other things may be harvest after a couple of months.
You can eat the bean sprouts in several days. But if the crop takes a year to grow, you have to care for it for a year. In case of Insam (ginseng) you have to grow it for more than 4 years.
The less time it takes to harvest, the less profit you have, and the longer you wait, the greater profit.
It's the same when you pray to God and receive the answers.
We have to sow different kinds of things whenever we have a chance, and we have to believe that God will certainly give us blessings.
It is up to God when to give it to us, but God always gives to us the best things at the best time.
The longer it takes, the greater will be the fruit.
James 1:6-8 says, "But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. [7] For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, [8] being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
I always said God would give me with compound interest upon compound interest, and God blessed me as I confessed.
But some people sow and take care of it for some time, but begin to complain if they do not receive as they want.
We act with faith before God with the desire to receive rewards from Him.
But this reward is given at the best time in the best way in the sight of God.
You cannot calculate for yourself and ask God to give you a certain amount at a certain point in time.
You should give with your love and thanks, even though you don't receive anything back, but because God has promised us blessings, you ask with faith so you can give glory to Him.
If you complain or have resentment just because the answer is coming slowly, you will only distance yourself from receiving the answer.
For example, suppose you have to fill up the amount of 100 to receive an answer to something.
You ask and act with faith and fill up 50 and 60, but then suddenly you pour out 20.
Then, you have to work harder to fill up that 20 as well.
If you keep on filling it up and pouring it out again and again, how slowly the answer will come!
If you just stop acting with faith and asking God, all your previous effort will become useless.
In this way, if you have been sowing with faith and storing up your deeds to please God, you have to look forward to the blessings with faith until the end.
If you at one moment complain saying, "Why doesn't God give me blessings while I try so hard?" then, it means your faith is not enough when measured by the justice.
Next, if you decide to give to God something, you have to give it.
You cannot change the thing that you decided to give, or break your vows.
In Leviticus chapter 24, it tells us that, when we give sacrifice of cattle, we cannot change it even for a better animal.
It means once we decide to give to God a certain thing, we cannot replace it with any other thing.
Also, Psalm 15:4 tells us we must not change our vows even if it hurts us.
Ecclesiastes 5:5-6 says, "It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. [6] Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands?"
Sometimes, you make a vow when you want to give to God but you don't have anything.
Even in these occasions, you should not do it in your own thoughts but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
You should not give with stinginess, but your own desire and fervor shouldn't let you make a vow.
But even though you make a vow with your own thoughts, it has to be kept once it is made.
If you have not kept any of your vows, you have to first keep it to demolish the wall, before asking for any other kind of blessings.
If you make the vow with your own zeal, there might be troubles keeping it, but once you keep your vow, you will receive greater things than what you have given.
[Conclusion]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the living God is almighty and He can give you anything you ask.
I am the witness.
I was only waiting for death in poverty and despair from which I could not escape.
I had to worry about each meal every day and we didn't have enough money for adequate heating.
But when I met God, loved Him, and lived by His commandments, my soul prospered.
Then, God gave me everything – health, wealth, fame, and anything I desired.
I hope you will also meet this God.
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will receive answers to whatever you ask by trusting God, loving Him, and dwelling in the truth. I also hope that you will reap thirty, sixty, and one hundred times more than what you sow.
[Amen] |
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