SHINNING FOREVER IN HOLINESS  - (PART 4)       

 

Memory Verse:  “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows..” Galatians 6:7 (NIV).

 

Bible Passage: Exodus 22: 1-4; Galatians 6: 7-10.

 

LESSON OBJECTIVES  

We should at the end of the lesson

a). Understand fully the law of harvest – you reap what you sow.

b). Appreciate the role of restitution in living a holy life.

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

Last week we came across an unending list of God’s blessings for His children. He commands us to be holy – and as we live holy lives, these blessings shall be ours.

Today we shall move on to see that whatever one sows, whether good or evil, that is what he will reap.

 

REMEMBER THE LAW OF HARVEST

You will reap whatever you sow. If we sow good, we shall reap good, while reaping evil will follow sowing evil.

And usually, when we plant one corn seed, we expect to reap at least one or two corn cobs. In other words we reap more than we sow, though of the same kind. “ A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, …”, Luke 6:38.

We must strive to sow good and not evil if we are to look forward to the good side of the law of harvest.

 

a). Can you think of examples of people who sowed evil and reaped evil reward?

i).   Gehazi sowed covetousness and reaped leprosy, II Kings 5: 25-27.

ii).  Ananias and his wife sowed the seed of deception and reaped death, Acts 5: 3-10.

iii). Pharoah sowed hard-heartedness and cruelty and his army perished in the Red Sea, Exodus 14: 28.

 

b). What of examples of people who sowed good and reaped glorious rewards?

i). Ruth sowed faithfulness and became a great, great, …grandmother of the Lord, Ruth 1:16-17; 4: 16-17.

ii). John the Baptist sowed humility & reaped spiritual promotion, Jn. 3:30; Lk 7:24-28.

iii). Abraham sowed faith in, & obedience to, God and became the friend of God, James 2: 23.

 

RESTITUTE YOUR WAYS

Here we shall define restitution and see what can be restituted.

What does restitution mean?

It is putting right what was done wrongly – even when the wrong was done in good conscience, Gen. 20: 6-7.

What can we restitute?

i).  Stolen things, Exodus 22: 10-12.

ii). Assets or property wrongly or unfairly acquired, Neh. 5:11; II Kings 8: 3-6.

iii). Sins and offences committed against others, James 5:6.

SUMMARY

Failure to restitute is watering already sown evil seed. The seed will grow and the harvest will be plentiful.

On the other hand the harvest that follows restitution could be amazingly glorious.