- MONEY IS SEED
Ps 35:27 – Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.
God delights in prosperity of his servants
Pro 11:24 – There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty.
This verse teaches us to give and grow in riches
- God’s way of prosperity for his people is sowing & reaping
Be a consistent sower into the things of God
2 Cor 9:1-5 – Paul writes to the Corinthian church, saying:
- They already are givers,
- They are to be prepared to sow, and
- They need not give out of obligation, but out of generosity.
2 Cor 9:6-7 – But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
Money is seed and giving is sowing.
->Jewish people have the highest per capita income in the world and are among the world’s wealthiest. They have 40 billionaires, giving them the highest per capita rate of billionaires. This is because their children learn about finance very early; parents give money to their children and tell them it is seed
- A REVELATION OF SOWING & REAPING
2 Cor 9:8-9 – And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.
Here we see how when we to sow bountifully we will reap bountifully.
2 Cor 9: 9 – When you are a sower, at the right time, the right harvest will show up.
->Paul talks about giving to preachers and reaping rewards – Gal 6:6-9
->The widow of zarephath gave in famine and received a harvest. Why did Elijah ask for her last meal? And she also gave it – They both knew something about sowing.
3) Mk 12:41-44 – In this story, we read how the widow sowed only two mites. Jesus was watching and didn’t stop her because He knew something: He knew that the seed that was sown would bring a harvest.
->Dr. David Gibbs Jr was with a missionary in Thailand, and they were going through the paddy fields to the missionary’s church. People were working, and most of them had an ox to plough, but one man, his wife, and his son were harnessing themselves to a plough in the field. The missionary said, “That is a family from our church; they sold their ox to give to missions, and they did it with joy.” About a year later, when Dr. Gibbs visited the church again, he asked about the couple and learned that God didn’t give them an ox, but a tractor.
2 Cor 9:11-14 – Sowing and reaping does not glorify God? Rather, the opposite is true—when you give to people, they glorify God.
- GOD IS SETTING YOU UP FOR A HARVEST
Lk 6:38 – Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.
- This verse emphasizes receiving, not giving.
->When Jesus asked to borrow Peter’s boat to preach the crowd, it was not out of necessity, but to set the stage for blessing Peter with an abundant catch of fish.
->When Jesus asked for a drink from the Samaritan woman, he was setting her up to receive living waters!
- The key to your prosperity is your giving
Pastor Jerry Savelle says, “Your salary is not your income; your sowing determines your income.”
I get the question, “What do you do for a living?” My answer is that I don’t do anything for a living – I live by faith, but I work for my calling. I don’t take a salary from our church. Instead, I sow the word of God, godly counsel, and money into people’s lives. As a result, people are blessed by my ministry and want to give to me.
Ultimately, it is the value that you bring into people’s lives, your company – that brings increase, growth, and promotion. You grow by giving.
- All you need is a seed!
->God didn’t give Adam a cot, iron tools, or jewellery. But there were trees, iron, and gold as raw materials that Adam could make use of. God gave them all in seed form!
->When a farmer has seed, his future is good. If you have a seed, your future is secure.
- You are not broke; you always have a seed
->Dr. David Gibbs Jr. shared a story about a time a couple met him and said, “Our three children all have severe medical disabilities. We haven’t been able to get medical coverage, and it has bankrupted us to the extreme. Life has been incredibly difficult. If you were us, what would you do?”
He replied, “Here’s what I would do: Give. Give to God.”
They said, “But we don’t have anything.”
Dr. Gibbs responded, “Give because the God you serve has promised that he will give back to you.”
A month later, Dr. Gibbs met the couple again. They shared how they took his advice and gave to God, and how the results had been miraculous. The hospital had called to say they made a mistake when they denied coverage to the three children. Their kids were now fully covered for everything—saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars per year! Give, and it shall be given unto you.
CONCLUSION
In today’s sermon, we learned a powerful truth about sowing and reaping. Your money is seed, and giving is sowing. God desires the prosperity of His servants, so He has made a way for us to grow rich; it is by sowing and reaping. As we put our faith in God, look to Him as our source, and give generously, we will receive so much more in return. God gives seed to the sower, and when we become people who are led by the Spirit and continually sow into the work of God, the church and people, the harvest will come at the right time. We will be a blessing to many, all for the glory of God. Amen!