BEARING PRECIOUS SEED

Psa. 126:1-6

Morning Meditation 12/11/14

"When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

Praise the Lord we are beginning a new week in the service of our Lord. For the farmer it is a time of sowing. If not sowing, then getting the ground ready for sowing. I was impressed that this psalm would be a good one for the season and the day. It is a great psalm to challenge us to sow for a spiritual harvest. There are several points that I would like to share with you. First of all, let's look at,

THE SOWING

Our text says, "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." There must be a sowing to reap a harvest. I'm not a farmer. I am not even a good gardener even though when I was young I was exposed to it every year. I enjoyed ploughing the ground, planting the seed, and reaping the harvest. But to be honest with you, I could not tell you what was going on. My parents told me how many seeds to plant to the hill and how deep they were to be planted. When they came up, we would go out and thin the plants out so that one or two plants per hill would have a chance to grow into a healthy plant. My folks knew what they were doing because they always made a good crop or garden. Had it been left up to me, the whole thing would have been a failure. I didn't try to remember from one year to the next what to do. So the next season, they would have to give me instructions and I followed them and it worked.

The Lord Jesus was the greatest of all speakers. He employed illustrations from every day life so that it would not be hard to understand. That is what He is doing in our text. The lesson of sowing and reaping is used to illustrate the work of winning the unsaved to a saving knowledge of our LORD.

If we follow the instructions we must "sow in tears." To sow in tears we must know the importance of the sowing of the seed. We must understand that the only hope of heaven for the people with whom we are talking is receiving Christ as a personal Saviour.

There is a parable in the New Testament that expands this illustration more fully. Matthew 13:18-23, "Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." See also the explanation to this parable in Matthew 13:24-30.

THE SEED

You do not have to be a good farmer or gardener to understand the law of sowing and reaping. First of all you need to sow where the ground has been prepared. Probably the proper preparation of the ground is one of the main things in sowing the seed. Then when you sow the seed, there must be a time where patience is exercised so that the seed is allowed to grow out of its shell and new life is begun. It is like a resurrection. The old seed dies and the new is born to the old seed and it is multiplied greatly.

Preparation and care is taken by the sower but the main part remains in the hands of the Lord. He is the one who watches over the seed and brings life out of death. Jesus said in John 12:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." This is how it works.

Jesus used this illustration to teach them of His death on the cross for them. He also emphasized the attitude of the sower. He says, "They that sow in tears." Why is the emphasis on the tears of the sower? It is because of the fear of rejection. The fact is that most people do not see their need. They say no to the gospel message. There are many reasons for this, one of which is probably the most common: "I know I need to get right with God but I am not ready to do what I believe one has to do to be saved." This is the most common philosophy of the day. It has to do with what one believes the sinner has to do to be saved. So it just comes back to a merited salvation. I have to do good to be saved. It is not easy to teach a person who is READY that his readiness is not the main issue in salvation.

Salvation is a gift and one does not have to work for a gift. So we must sow the seeds of grace and patiently wait until the Holy Spirit brings conviction to his soul to the point where the sinner says, "I am ready no matter what it takes. I want to be saved." One does have to come to the end of himself and is ready to listen to what Jesus says one has to do to be saved. When he is thus saved, He will receive the gospel, as it is, then after he is saved He will be willing to allow the Church to teach him and it will be a great experience for him to grow in grace. There is nothing that thrills my soul more than to see this newly born again believer taking in the Word and growing in grace. The more he grows the less able are his opponents to trap him with their heresy and turn him from the true gospel. The next thing that I want us to look at in the parable is,

THE SHOUTING

Jesus does not only teach topically in parables but explains the meaning of the words He uses. Let's notice in Matthew 13:37-40, "He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world."

If the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom, the tares are the children of the wicked one, and the one who sowed the tares is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels, and the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, it is time for tears. There must be a genuine concern for the unsaved. It is one thing to preach with accuracy and another to sow with tears. I'm afraid my tear bottle does not have enough tears in it. Psalms 56:8 says, "Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?"

There is a danger in our day of trying to raise our children in a bubble totally isolated from the world. I write this with fear and trembling that I might be misunderstood. I know something about the public school system. I also know that there is a real danger in sending our kids to public schools where they sit in the science class room and are fed that humanistic junk that doesn't even make sense to unsaved people. But if our children are saved, are they not "the children of the kingdom?" I'm just making a suggestion. If the parable of the sower and the tares is truly applied, should we not train our children in soul winning and send them to the public school class room as a witness for Jesus? Should we not drill into them that the Genesis account of creation is true and train them how to stand up against the so-called science of our day. Your children might not convert the teacher, but there is a good possibility that scores of unsaved young people would be won to the Lord.

We are in the world but not of the world. Being liked by one's employer or school mates, is a good atmosphere in which to witness to the saving gospel. We are the seed that Jesus is sowing in the world around us. Let's don't let Him down. Let's don't be ashamed of Him. And if your child is in a public school, don't go running to the teacher or principle every time you disagree with some things. Just make a note of your disagreements. Then ask the Lord to give a session with the teacher and explain that these thing are against our faith. Tell them you don't intend to cause problems but you are teaching your children that as Christians we do not believe these things, and give the teacher some Bible verses that contradict what is being taught. It is a time to display the true spirit of Christ and sow some good seed. If you keep sowing seed it will eventually come up. Then there will be a time of praise. Amen!!!

Let me make it clear that I am not criticizing anyone who has their children in a Christian school. But I do have a problem with people who are constantly criticizing parents who don't put their children in a Christian school. You do with your children what you believe the Lord wants you to do. And have close family ties with your children no matter where you send them. Find out what they are being taught. You might be surprised at the conduct that takes place in a so-called Christian School.

THE SHEAVES

The sheaves here is talking about the harvest. What is the harvest from sowing the good seed of the gospel? It is bringing lost souls out of the field of the world. It is the result of sowing the good seed.

1 Peter 1:23, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."

If you will notice our text, this is a promise. Psalms 126:5-6, "They that sow in tears SHALL REAP in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, SHALL DOUBTLESS come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

The word "doubtless" is in verse six. This means "without a doubt." When God makes a promise you can be sure He will keep His promise. As Christians we live by the promises of God. That is what faith is. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Then finally let's notice,

THE SINNERS

Psalms 126:2, "Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them."

The unsaved can see the work of God in the life of His child. Is God at work in your life? Can the unsaved around you see what God is doing in your life? Now don't go and ask him. This is not something you have to announce. This passage of Scripture calls attention to the obvious. The unsaved can be brought under conviction by the lives and songs of the children of God.

Psalms 137:3-4 says, "For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?"

The Lord gives us a song. And Psalm 137 tells of the effect that our singing has on the unsaved world around us.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White