Sermon Series Wrap-Up: What If You're Reaping What You Sow?

Most people have heard the term “Karma” before. It’s a concept taken from Buddhism and refers to the belief that karma is something we all amass as a result of our actions in life. Eventually, everyone will have that karma come back to them, and the nature of that karma will be a reflection of how we live our lives. If we live righteously, we will receive good karma. If we live evil lives, our karma will be bad. Most people understand this concept, and even if they don’t really believe in karma itself, many probably believe or want to believe that our actions have corresponding consequences.

As Pastor Pope pointed out in his latest series, that concept is part of Christianity too.

Do not be deceived:  God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  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. - Galatians 6:7-8

Here we see Paul using the process of planting and harvesting crops as a metaphor to express the same sentiment as the concept of karma. Pastor Pope asks us all how we know we’re not reaping what we’ve sown. Many of us are going through hard times. Maybe they are the consequences of sowing to our flesh. That doesn’t mean that we should stop striving to do what is right. If you have changed your ways and are now sowing good, then you should believe that eventually you will reap good. All Believers should think that way. Jesus gives a clear example of just how far the principle of reaping what you sow can go.

So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life. - Luke 18:29

Jesus made that statement to his disciples following an encounter with a rich man who did not want to sacrifice his worldly goods. Jesus is making a promise that those who sacrifice for God will be rewarded both in the present and for eternity. Those of us who believe in Jesus need to believe in what Jesus said. After all, it was his sacrifice that allows us to reap such a great reward for living according to God’s will.

This concept of reaping what we sow doesn’t mean that if we’ve done bad, we’ll be stuck in a cycle of doing wrong and paying for our wrong. We will have to suffer consequences for the wrong we do, but we can turn our lives around. Pastor Pope used the story of Jacob in the Bible to illustrate that truth. Jacob tricked his brother, Esau, out of both his birthright and blessing, and in turn he was tricked and taken advantage of by his father-in-law, Laban. He sowed wrong and reaped wrong. However, Jacob also sowed goodness by being faithful and obedient to God and struggling both figuratively and literally against an angel to overcome his trials. As a result, he also reaped goodness and was blessed by God.

Most people can probably come to terms with the concept of accepting the consequences for one’s own actions. However, at times, we may have difficulty understanding just how great God’s blessings might be. Doing good will result in good, but that doesn’t mean the good we receive will be the equivalent of what we did. God can and will bless us beyond what we have earned. We just have to believe. Pastor Pope used the stories of Abraham and Mary to illustrate that point. Abraham was obedient when given commands by God, and in turn, he became the father of God’s chosen people. Mary was obedient when she was told about God’s plans for her, and in turn she became the mother to Jesus, the Messiah. Simple obedience resulted in unbelievable blessings from God, but this should not surprise us. As the Bible says:

For with God nothing will be impossible. - Luke 1:37

We Believers have to keep that in mind. When things seem bleak and show no sign of turning around, God can change our fortunes. If we remain faithful and obedient, we will reap goodness because that’s what God wants for us and there is nothing he can’t do for us.

Perhaps, Paul is the Bible’s greatest example of a person reaping what he sowed. He spent much of the earliest part of his life persecuting Jesus’ followers. God could have dispensed with him, but that’s not what God did. Instead, he chose to use Paul. Paul became one of God’s greatest servants, but he didn’t escape reaping the bad he sowed. He served God and at times his life was tough because of it. Suffering for God was the price he had to pay for working against God. Even in the midst of that suffering he found peace and reason for joy even in the midst of his tumult. 

For I consider that the suffering of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. - Romans 8:18

As Pastor Pope said, Paul was “Too Blessed to Be Stressed.” Paul knew that serving God would one day lead to something much greater than anything he had gone through. He trusted God, and we must do the same. He knew that if he gave God his best; God would give him His best. That’s something we all need to take to heart. Too often we put so much of ourselves into the things of the world that God simply becomes an afterthought. We don’t give him the main parts of ourselves. Instead, we give him the leftovers. Then many of us wonder why things aren’t working out the way we’d like. We feel that we’re doing good, but we don’t see our lives impacted the way we want. We have to understand that we can’t give God what is left over and expect our blessings to overflow. If we sow scraps, we will reap scraps. We have to do the best for God and give him our best. Then, we can expect God to give us His best. We will come out as the winners in that exchange because no matter how good we are, we can’t beat God’s goodness.

It's not Karma that we exude, but we reap what we sow. As the Bible says, don't be deceived God will not be mocked, whatever a person sows, they will also reap.  Let's do our best to both sow and reap the fruits of God's will.

What If You're Reaping What You Sowed, Part 1
https://www.facebook.com/WEDForLife/videos/2337659336331315/

What If You're Reaping What You Sowed, Part 2
https://www.facebook.com/WEDForLife/videos/256709085243407/

What If You're Reaping What You Sowed, Part 3
https://www.facebook.com/WEDForLife/videos/979842805689080/

Too Blessed to Be Stressed
https://www.facebook.com/WEDForLife/videos/2591755487574845/

Don't Give God Your Leftovers
https://www.facebook.com/WEDForLife/videos/1485605151618067/

Chris Lawyer

Sermons By Pastor Everett Pope