Sermon Notes: You Reap What You Sow (Galatians 6:7-10)
Intro: “Whatever a man sows, that will he also reap.” That principle is absolute! If a you want a
harvest you must sow seed. No seed; no harvest. Also, the kind of harvest you reap will be determined
by the kind of seed you sow. Barley is not harvested from wheat seeds that were sown. Nor is it
possible to get a healthy crop from poor seeds or an abundant crop from only a few. As it is in the
material world so it is in the spiritual.
#1: We must sow with wisdom (7-8). See (5:16-17a). Our sinful nature has idolatrous desires that
create sinful thoughts and attitudes and behavior. But the Spirit of God has given the Christian a new
heart and a new desire—the desire to reflect once again the image of God which man was created with
but was lost in great measure through sin! “Be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Eph. 5:1). As
the adopted sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ, we must put on the family likeness.
Christ has set the believer free to participate in a life-long process of renewal that requires daily faith
and repentance. So, we sow to the flesh whenever we do things that strengthen our sinful desires. And
we sow to the Spirit whenever we do things that strengthen our Spirit-given desire for holiness. This
requires wisdom and discernment! All of us have our own personalities and temperaments and
circumstances. And we will have to learn, often the hard way, where our personal weaknesses lie. We
must not sow to the flesh. In part, not sowing to the flesh involves avoiding situations where our sinful
nature will be provoked and strengthened. We can’t change ourselves simply by avoiding temptation.
But avoiding temptation is one responsible, important part of not sowing to the flesh. We must be
responsible. We must be proactive in avoiding situations where our sinful nature will be provoked into
action. That’s why the Bible encourages us on many occasions to “flee temptation.” Go in the
opposite direction of what provokes indwelling sin to life. Many of our sinful desires are fed by things
in our culture. May God give us discernment! Some things that are dangerous for one may be safe for
another. But we need to be students of ourselves; we need to be vigilant in not sowing to the flesh.
Stott: “To “sow to the flesh” is to pander to it, to cuddle and stroke it, instead of crucifying it…Every
time we allow our mind to harbor a grudge, nurse a grievance, entertain an impure fantasy, or wallow
in self-pity, we are sowing to the flesh. Every time we linger in bad company whose insidious
influence we know we cannot resist, every time we take a risk which strains our self-control, we are
sowing, sowing to the flesh. Some Christians sow to the flesh every day and wonder why they do not
reap holiness.” We must sow to the Spirit. We sow to the Spirit when we practice those things which
strengthen our desire for holiness. The Spirit has planted the seed of new life in every Christian and
that seed must be tended and nurtured. Gardeners know that one of the best ways to avoid weeds is to
sow plants in their place. And it’s the same with the spiritual life. The best way to strangle the desires
of the flesh is to sow to the desires of the Spirit. It’s significant that when Paul tells Timothy to flee
sinful desires he always tells him to pursue righteousness instead (ex. 2 Tim. 2:22). Sowing to the
Spirit involves taking responsibility to put into practice the various means the Spirit uses to strengthen
our daily repentance from sin and faith in God’s grace. We can’t change our hearts only the Spirit of
God can. But we must take the responsibility to put ourselves in circumstances where the rain of
God’s Spirit can water and nurture and strengthen our repentance from sin and faith in God’s grace.
Such as: the Word, worship, fellowship.
#2: We must sow in hope (9). Sowing and nurturing and tending the seed of new life within us is
hard work! One reason is because we don’t see immediate fruit for all of our effort. Like the farmer,
we must sow and tend in the hope of a harvest of becoming like Jesus. And this hope God has put in
our hearts is one that will not be disappointed. The greatest encouragement to persevere in sowing to
the desires of the Spirit in hope comes from knowing that God is persevering with us. How often we
are tempted to turn in on ourselves! What we must do instead is set our hope on God who will never
leave us or forsake us. What truths nourish our hope? Christ indwells the Christian. “It is no longer I
who live but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). This is one the wonderful truths emphasized by the
great Christmas carols. While they rightly emphasize that Jesus is the Immanuel, God who came to
dwell with us, they also underline that Christ came to dwell in us. Jesus Christ has come in the Spirit
to indwell his people. The Spirit of Christ is not simply with us, but in us to transform us. And yet,
there’s a paradox: While Christ indwells us, sin also continues to indwell us. The desires of the Spirit
of Christ within are opposed by the desires of the flesh within. But even though conflict rages within
us by opposite foes, they are not equal foes. The One who is in us greater than all possible opposition.
If Christ indwells us, we need no longer be defeated by sin. In that hope persevere in sowing to the
desires of the Spirit! Christ intercedes for the Christian. The Scriptures show not only that Christ died
for our sins and was raised to give us new life but also that he reigns at God’s right hand and
intercedes for us (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25). Why does he intercede? Because the great burden of his
heart is that we will persevere in hope in sowing to the Spirit. Simon Peter denied Christ and fell but
later recovered and persevered. Why? Jesus assured him, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded
to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail” (Lk. 22:31ff.). Christ’s
intercessions call down such aid to our faith that it stands in the darkest hour.
#3: Sow in doing good (10). We must sow good deeds. Of course we must share the gospel and
evangelize. We must also disciple and teach. But God also calls us to a ministry of good deeds as well
as words (ex. Feeding the poor, helping people with money management, teaching ESL, visiting the
lonely and those bereft of loved ones, clearing snow, assisting at a shelter, etc.) We are spirit-body
beings. We have material and social needs as well as spiritual needs! We must sow good to all. And so
we don’t get too overwhelmed, Paul interjects “as we have opportunity.” We can’t be expected to
meet everyone’s needs but we should look around us and see who is near and what their needs are.
Ryken: “Charity begins at home; but it also goes out into the neighborhood. This is what the ancient
pagans considered so unusual about the first Christians—and so attractive. One of the reasons the
church has such a mixed reputation is our day is that Christians do not do as much good as they ought
to do.” We must sow good to the family. Christians are adopted sons and daughters in the household
of God. We must do good intensely to those who are in spiritual fellowship with us. Doing good, as
Paul commands it, is demanding. It requires sacrifice and the temptation is to do good only to those
who will benefit us in some way. But we are to do good for the benefit of all just as God showers his
rain on the righteous and the unrighteous and just as God has been pleased to give us eternal life by
the undeserved gift of his Son. B. B. Warfield: “Now dear Christians, some of you pray night and day
to be branches of the true Vine; you pray to be made all over in the image of Christ. If so, you must be
like him in giving…“though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor.”…But someone objects:
“My money is my own.” Answer: “Christ might have said, ‘my blood is my own, my life is my
own”…then where should we have been? But someone objects: “They are undeserving.” Answer:
“Christ might have said, ‘They are wicked rebels…shall I lay down my life for these? I will give to
the good angels.” But no, he left the ninety-nine, and came after the lost. He gave his blood for the
undeserving. But someone objects: “They may abuse it.” Answer: Christ might have said the same;
yea, with far greater truth. Christ knew that thousands would trample his blood under their feet; that
most would despise it; that many would make it an excuse for sinning more; yet he gave his own
blood. Oh, my dear Christians! If you would be like Christ, give much, give often, give freely, to the
vile and poor, the thankless and the undeserving. Christ is glorious and happy and so will you be. It is
not your money I want, but your happiness. Remember his own word, “It is more blessed to give than
to receive.”