"Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.
He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him".
Introduction
*The text that we are using today is using the biblical principle of
sowing and reaping.
*The principle of sowing in bible times was very well known. To
sow was to plant seeds for growth by scattering.
*It wasn't done a seed at a time but a handful at a time
The process of sowing was to set life in motion.
*And not all the seeds that were sown produced life.
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I. FIRST PART OF GOD'S PLAN IS ; "He that goes forth".
· It's easy to do anything else like; giving money to send others, serve on the board, have church as usual,easear to be part of a faction than to get into the action, nit- pick and grumble.
· It's a proven fact that WHEN THE CHURCH BEGINS TO GO IT BEGINS TO GROW!!!
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II. THE SECOND PART OF GOD'S PLAN IS;
· Weeping. "Goeth forth and weepeth".
· A genuine concern for the lost souls is needed in the church in general.
· Paul said; "I have bitter grief and anguish in my heart. For I wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my bretheren".
· Paul's heart was broken for His bretheren.
· He saw the lost as God sees them.
*In the parable of The Sower, Jesus said that the seed is the word
of God (Luke
*A new life is born when people receive that word. The ones that
do not, for whatever reason will not receive life.
*We are introducing the word into an environment. The
environment or the condition of the soil is not determined by
us but by the condition of the person's heart. The growth is
also determined by the condition of the soil or the heart.
*Someonehas to take the time to plant, to work the soil and mix it.
Jesus said that there are four types of soil, (Read Matt.13:3-8);
- Notice that some have a wayside or by the road environment. Jesus said that these are the ones that hear the word and do not understand it and the devil comes and steals the word from them because it's exposed. They never take the time to understand the word or study it or ask someone about what they don't understand (Matt.13:19).
- Some have a stony ground or rocky type of soil. These are the ones that hear the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no firm root in himself, so it's only temporary. When afflictions and persecutions come because of the word, immediately they fall away (Matt.13:20-21).
THE BIBLE SAYS IN VERSE SIX THAT "WHEN THE SUN CAME UP SINCE THEY HAD NO ROOT, THEY WITHERED AWAY". (You know what they say if you can't handle the heat. GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN!!
- Others have a thorny soil. Verse 7, "And others fell among
thorns and the thorns came up and choked them out".
Jesus said that; "This is the person who hears the word,
and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of
riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful". (It
may grow into a tree but the thorns choke it and does
not let it bear fruit).
- The good soil. "The man who hears the word and
understands it, who bears fruit, and brings forth some a
· hundred fold, some sixty, and some thirty"(Matt.13:23).in with the good soil, to water the seed, to remove the stones, to remove the thorns.
· Somebody worked and sweated and cried. That's why it says; "Those who sow with tears shall reap with joyful shouting".
III. THE THIRD PART OD GOD'S PLAN IS REAPING;
· "Shall come with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him".
· If you do the work, you will reap the harvest!!!
· If you want to get in on the blessings. You cant leave the soul winning to others.
LET'S GET BACK TO BASICS!!!
Jesus said; "Don't say that there is yet four months and than comes the harvest. Behold I say unto you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields; for they are white already to harvest"(John