Sowing and Reaping
A Sermon on Galatians 6:7-8
Originally preached Oct. 6, 1963
Scripture
7Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Sermon Description
The world is full of so much suffering. Why are things the way they are? Why is evil present? In this sermon on Galatians 6:7–8 titled “Sowing and Reaping,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones provides answers to these difficult questions that have haunted people for millennia. Ultimately, all the bad seen in the world traces back to the Garden of Eden and people being deceived by Satan. What were they deceived about? First, people are deceived about themselves. They think they are powerful and smart enough to figure everything out without the help of God. Second, they are deceived about God. People not only doubt the existence of God, but also His ability to work in the world with the amount of evil that is present. Third, deception has occurred regarding life in this world. Satan has convinced humanity that there are no absolute moral standards and consequences, and that this life is the only one—thus, there is no need to worry about the consequences actions have, because all need to have as much fun as they can before they die. Because people are deceived in these areas, they sow according to the flesh. To combat this, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that all must believe and understand that God has created everything for a reason and that lives have consequences now and into eternity. This, he says, is how one understands evil in the world and the message that can undo it.
Sermon Breakdown
- The Bible is a practical book that deals with life and how to live it.
- The passage in Galatians 6:7-8 reminds us of the nature of the Bible.
- The Bible uses the metaphor of a farm to represent life. We are given the gift of life like a farm and must choose what to sow and reap.
- There are two possibilities in life: reaping life everlasting or corruption.
- Corruption refers to something useless, decaying, and offensive. The world is in a state of corruption.
- The cause of corruption is that man has been deceived. The devil deceived Eve and sin entered the world.
- Man is deceived about himself, thinking he is something when he is nothing. Man's conceit and self-confidence is the problem.
- Man mocks God, disregarding, sneering at, or ignoring Him. Man thinks he can judge and assess God.
- Man is deceived about life, thinking he can do whatever he wants without consequences. He thinks morals don't matter and man determines morals.
- Because man is deceived, he sows to the flesh, gratifying it and producing corruption.
- The truth is that life is under God. He created all things and man is a finite creature under God's control.
- The laws of God are absolute and inescapable. What a man sows, he will reap. This proves man is under God.
- This life determines our eternal destiny. We reap what we sow, either corruption or life everlasting.
- There are two choices: live for the flesh or live for the Spirit. We either gratify self or obey God.
- Wisdom is realizing we've been deceived, that life is under God, and we must sow to the Spirit by believing in Christ.
Sermon Q&A
Common Questions About Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Galatians 6:7-8
What is the main theme of Dr. Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Galatians 6:7-8?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones focuses on the principle "Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." The sermon examines how humans deceive themselves about their own nature, about God, and about life in this world. He explains the biblical principle that life operates under God's fixed laws, where sowing to the flesh leads to corruption, while sowing to the Spirit leads to eternal life.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe human self-deception?
According to Lloyd-Jones, humans deceive themselves in three main ways: 1) About themselves - thinking they are something when they are nothing, exhibiting conceit and self-confidence; 2) About God - mocking, ignoring, or dismissing God's existence, power, and judgment; 3) About life in this world - believing there are no moral absolutes, that pleasure is the chief aim of life, and that there are no consequences for their choices.
What does "sowing to the flesh" mean according to the sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that sowing to the flesh means living according to worldly desires and gratifications, which he lists as "adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like." It represents choosing to live by human principles rather than God's principles.
What does Lloyd-Jones teach about the consequences of our choices?
He emphasizes that God's law of cause and effect is inescapable - "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Those who sow to the flesh will reap corruption in this life (unhappiness, misery, moral degradation) and eternal corruption in the next. Those who sow to the Spirit will reap the fruits of the Spirit in this life (love, joy, peace) and eternal life in the world to come.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones view modern attitudes toward morality?
Lloyd-Jones critiques the modern view that there are no absolute moral standards, that ethics are relative to each generation, and that pleasure is the highest good. He argues this mindset deceives people into thinking they can live however they wish without consequences, when in reality God's moral principles are "absolute and inexorable and unavoidable" regardless of human opinion.
What does the Bible teach about life's purpose according to this sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the Bible teaches life is not just about present happiness but about determining our eternal destiny. We are creatures made by God, placed in this world to glorify Him, and our actions in this life determine our future in eternity. Life is "a place in which we determine not only how we are going to live in this world, but how we are going to live in the next."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones use the farming metaphor in his sermon?
He compares life to a field given to us by God. What we choose to plant (our actions, priorities, beliefs) determines what we will harvest. At harvest time (judgment), God will examine what we've produced in our field. This metaphor illustrates that our choices have inevitable consequences according to God's established laws.
What is the way to eternal life according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
The way to eternal life is to "sow to the Spirit" by: realizing you have a soul that needs salvation, believing the message of God's Word, believing in Jesus Christ, giving your life to Him, crucifying fleshly desires, turning away from worldly ways, reading God's Word, praying, and seeking the fullness of God's Spirit.
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Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.