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The Hardest Part of the Harvest
Matt. 13:37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
INTRO
We are living in a day when folks are not aware of what it takes to have a harvest. If you want butter beans you open a can. If you want green beans you have the Jolly Green Giant! We are living in the instant generation…
Real Treasure
An old farmer who was about to die called his two sons to his bedside and said, "My boys, my farm and the fields are yours in equal shares. I leave you a little ready money but the bulk of my wealth is hidden somewhere in the ground, not more than eighteen inches from the surface. I regret that I’ve forgotten precisely where it lies."
When the old man was dead and buried his two sons set to work to dig up every inch of ground in order to find the buried treasure. They failed to find it but as they’d gone to all the trouble of turning over the soil they thought they might as well sow a crop, which they did, reaping a good harvest.
In autumn as soon as they had an opportunity they dug for the treasure again but with no better results. As their fields were turned over more thoroughly than any others in the neighborhood they reaped better harvests than anyone else.
Year after year their search continued. Only when they had grown much older and wiser did they realize what their father had meant. Real treasure comes as a result of hard work. (Source unknown)
Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
Mark 4: 21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
You are responsible for what you hear and do…
24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
2Cor. 9:6 But this I say , He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give ; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
The law of the harvest is that God is in control of the growth and we are in the control of the harvest.
Mark 4:26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
We plant and we harvest, but God gives the increase.
"Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant."…
What Bible Pentecostal Church will become if we are faithful…
30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:32 But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
THE HARDEST PART OF THE HARVEST
2 Thess. 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come , except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
DOES HE HAVE OTHER PLANS?
The wise farmer can usually depend on expected timetables of seedtime and harvest. Not so in the spiritual life. One of the greatest frustrations in the Christian ministry, and principal cause for "weariness in well-doing" is the inability to calculate the spiritual outcome of faithful labors in the work of the Lord.
Vacationers get tired of sunsets, millionaires get tired of money, kids get tired of toys, and Christians get tired of doing good. At first the excitement of teaching a new SS class was strong, but now you have grown weary of well-doing. The thrill is gone. At first you felt clean and strong when you first drove the van, led the small group study, visited the newcomers, started reading the Bible, worked in the emergency shelter–but now you have grown weary in well-doing. The inner power and joy have seeped away. It's a chore. You've lost heart." –Timothy George,
You may be saying I will not be one t fall away. But what about your lifestyle, what kind of message does your closet say? What kind of music do your ears hear? Nobody backslides over night.
No Apostolic has any business listening to worldly music of any kind! There may be an occasional song that is written that might be wholesome but just like Hollywood; you have to go through all kinds’ trash to find one or two good programs or movies.
I'm Doing Me
Fantasia
Whip My Hair
Willow
You Be Killin Em
Fabolous
Love All Over Me
Monica
Champagne Life
Ne-Yo
Champ
My Kinda Party
Jason Aldean
Why Wait
Rascal Flatts
Someone Else Calling You Baby.
Luke Bryan
Bullets In The Gun
Toby Keith
Smoke A Little Smoke
Eric Church
What Do You Want
Jerrod Niemann
Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not
Thompson Square
Give In To Me
Faith Hill
Last Night Again
Steel Magnolia
Hey Baby (Drop It To The Flo…
Pitbull Featuring T-Pain
I Wouldn’t Take Her To a Dog Fight, Cause I’m Afraid She’d Win
You’re The Hangnail In My Life, And I Can’t Bite You Off
The Last Word In Lonesome Is “Me”
My Shoes Keep Walkin’ Back to You
You Stuck My Heart In a Old Tin Can and Shot It Off a Log
How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away?
I’d Rather Pass a Kidney Stone than Another Night With You
My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend And I Sure Do Miss Him
I Changed Her Oil, She Changed My Life
Thank God And Greyhound She’s Gone
If You Don’t Leave Me Alone I’ll Go and Find Someone Else Who Will
Take Me To The Corn Field Honey and I’ll Kiss You Between The Ears
How can we expect to live for God and listen to this junk.
If faith comes by hearing then maybe if your low on faith it’s because your hearing the wrong thing.
I can see as the angel Gabriel frowned and looked rather skeptical. He knew well what poor stuff humans were made of. "Yes," he said, "but what if Peter and James and John grow weary? What if the people who come after them forget? What if way down through the centuries people just don't tell others about you? Haven't you made any other plans?" And Jesus answered, "I haven't made any other plans. I'm counting on them."
Higgins concludes, "Twenty-one centuries later He still has no other plan. He's counting on you and me to continue His work of reconciling the world to Himself, to continue the work so many have faithfully carried out before us. Will we do so well?"
Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
Ps. 145:13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.s14 The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.s16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.s18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.20 The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
Ps. 37: 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.s24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
Isa 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.s
You want to know why you are getting tripped up. You want to know why men fail…?
And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
GOD SETTLES HIS ACCOUNTS
An atheist farmer often ridiculed people who believed in God. He wrote the following letter to the editor of a local newspaper: "I plowed on Sunday, planted on Sunday, cultivated on Sunday, and hauled in my crops on Sunday; but I never went to church on Sunday. Yet I harvested more bushels per acre than anyone else, even those who are God-fearing and never miss a service." The editor printed the man’s letter and then added this remark: "God doesn’t always settle His accounts in October."
That editor was right! He doesn’t always "settle His accounts in October," but He does settle His accounts!
His One Mistake – He brushed his teeth twice a day. The doctor examined him twice a year. He wore rain boots when it rained. He slept with the windows open. He stuck to a diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. He golfed. He got at least 8 hours of sleep every night. He never smoked, drank, or lost his temper. He exercised every day. He was all set to live to be 100.
The funeral will be Wednesday. He was only 63. He is survived by 18 specialists, 4 health institutions, 6 gymnasiums, and numerous manufacturers of health foods and drugs. He remembered everything, but he forgot God! He lived as though this world was all there is and is now with those who say;
Jer 8:20 The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?
It¹s a dangerous thing to forget that spiritual part of us. It’s all we have left when we die.
