Living a Blessed Life: 2 Cor 9:6-15
I don’t think any of us would disagree that there is a law of gravity
Unless you go up in airplane, you can’t fly…and even that airplane has to fight the law of gravity to get off the ground
Unfortunately, most people (even many Christians) do not take God’s spiritual laws as seriously as they do His physical laws
One spiritual law that is stated clearly in Scripture is the Harvest Law
Galatians 6:7 (ESV)
7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
That’s true with giving of our finances and our time…whatever you put in it, is what you’re going to get out of it
To help us understand God’s harvest law better, let’s consider Second Cor 9, beginning with v6
2 Corinthians 9:6–9 (ESV)
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
There are 4 principles to God’s harvest law found in these verses
- We Only Reap if We Sow
Notice again v6: 6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
The Apostle Paul is making an assumption here…he is assuming that sowing is going on
I guess Paul is assuming that sowing is going on because that is the Christian life…and he is writing this to Christians
That’s so obvious that it seems unnecessary to even mention
Yet, many Christian’s wonder why they haven’t been reaping a harvest in their life, and it may be because they have not been sowing
You get out of it what you put in
I grew up on a farm. When I got old enough to work, which was about 14, my dad and the neighboring farmers put me to work driving a tractor.
When it came time to plant corn for example we filled up the hoppers on the planter with kernels of corn.
And then later in the summer, we went back into the field and harvested cotton… No, we harvested corn, because that’s what we planted in that field.
The seed you plant grows into a plant of like kind
You get out what you put in.
Failure to observe God’s Harvest Law may be one reason why wealth brings such little joy to many who have it
Because joy comes only from sowing (giving, investing) what God has given in ways that bring returns that benefit others and glorify Him.[1]
That’s a reminder to those of us who already give generously of our finances to the work of the Lord…God takes good care of us!
We only reap if we sow
- We Reap Only What We Sow
This principle says that we reap exactly the same kind as what we sow
Galatians 6:8 (ESV)
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.
We’ve already established that if a farmer plants corn, he’ll get corn. If he plants beans, he’ll get beans and so on
The farmer is not going to get something different than what he sowed, he’s going to get the same
If I am an angry person and I sow anger into the people around me, then anger is what I’m going to reap
I can’t be critical and expect to get understanding; I can’t sow anger and expect to get peace
If I’m hateful, I can’t expect people to love me and be kind to me
If I have a smart mouth, I’m not going to have many friends
You’re going to get back whatever you put in it
That’s really how it is, isn’t it?
- We only reap if we sow
- We reap only if we sow
A third principle of God’s harvest law is this:
- We Reap More Than We Sow
2 Corinthians 9:10 (ESV)
10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
God multiplies the seed that we have sown
Think what it would be like if a farmer sowed one kernel of corn and only got one kernel back. That would be insane
No what happens is, God’s harvest law goes in effect and that one kernel of corn sown into the ground becomes a stalk with several ears of corn and hundreds and hundreds of kernels
God’s harvest law works the same whether it’s natural things or spiritual things
Jesus said: Luke 6:38 (ESV)
38 Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
If you sow generously, you will reap generously.
You can’t out-give God…you just can’t
Now we are not talking about making deals with God: every time that we give our money to the church, it doesn’t mean that every time, God will pour money back into our laps
I can say, that since I learned to give to God years ago, he has always taken care of my needs
But, His blessings come in many other ways besides just money
Whatever you sow: kindness, love, money, ministry…God will give an increase
God’s harvest law is just simply you and I being committed and faithful… being faithful to Him
Do you want to live a blessed life? Then sow blessings
You get out of it what you put in it
- We only reap if we sow
- We reap only if we sow
- We reap more that we sow
And often:
- We Reap Later than We Sow
Galatians 6:9 (ESV)
9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
“In due season” is the key
There is a season for sowing and a season for reaping
They are separated by a passage of time
Just like back when I worked the farm: we didn’t plant one morning, go home and eat lunch, then go back that afternoon to find that plants are growing in the field we just planted that morning
Doesn’t work that way does it? There has to be a passage of time
Yet, spiritually speaking, that’s the way we act sometimes
Well God, I gave you 10% of my income Sunday, now you give me back a harvest this week!
Who controls the timetable? God does
Many of you in here today have been faithfully giving for years and years and I’m sure I could line everyone up here this morning and you could tell us how God has and is taking care of you
Because you were a faithful sower into God’s Kingdom, then God has multiplied what you have sown
I’ve have learned that in my own life
God has multiplied his blessings in my life…and he will continue in due season
Our responsibility is to be faithful to sow; God’s is to be faithful to bring the harvest.[2]
We have talked about 4 principles of God’s law; now I want you to notice what those principles produce.
- Our giving causes us to prosper financially and spiritually
Not talking about a secret formula for worldly success and wealth!
I am talking about as we are faithful to God, He is more than faithful to us.
V10 said that when we give, God multiplies our seed for sowing and increases the harvest of our righteousness
And As we give, God multiplies our gift and enables us to give more
And the blessing we receive is that he grows us spiritually as well
- Our giving proves our love for God
2 Corinthians 9:13 (ESV)
By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others,
Paul said that the generosity of the Corinthian Christians would cause people to glorify God when they saw the sacrifice of those who professed to know Christ
It’s one thing to say we love Jesus, but it’s another to put that love to action by giving
We demonstrate our love for God by sowing sacrificially, we bring glory to him by showing our love for him
- Our giving provides for those in need
2 Corinthians 9:12 (ESV)
For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.
When you give to the church, a good percentage of what you give goes to provide for others
Your gifts support missionaries all over the world who have sacrificed to tell others about Jesus
Your gifts go to mission causes in our state that provide or people who are in crisis and have significant needs
God puts money in our hands so we can meet the needs of others
That’s the work of the church on this earth!
All in the name of Christ and for the sake of the Gospel!
God blesses us in order to be a blessing
Giving sacrificially to God, causes us to have a blessed life
God has already made the supreme sacrifice for us, by sowing his one and only Son into this world where he died and was raised to new life
Are your hands open, sharing what God has given you sowing into the work of Christ?
If so, you are, or will be, reaping the harvest, living a blessed life
If your hands are closed, I encourage you to get in step with God’s harvest law for your good, for the good of others and for the glory of God!
[1] Jeremiah, D. (2007). Signs of Life (Study Guide) (p. 97). San Diego, CA: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[2] Jeremiah, D. (2007). Signs of Life (Study Guide) (p. 99). San Diego, CA: Thomas Nelson Publishers.