GOD GAVE HIS SON

Eltham Baptist Church 23rd December 2012

No. 401

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

At Christmas time we are reminded once more of how God gave His only begotten Son, so that we might have eternal life. He gave Him for a desired result, not just that He might get millions of pretty Christmas cards with the nativity scene on them at a later date, but He gave His Son so that He might have many sons, millions and millions of sons and a big family. He gave Jesus way back then seeing the potential in what He was doing. It didn't all depend on the seed either but also on those who were going to care for the seed. The coming of Jesus to this earth is so packed with truth that reveals the heart of God. It flies in the face of how man would have planned this event, and leaves us with lots of questions. Why? Why a manger? Surely it should have been better in a palace. Why in such a dangerous time? People were so cruel back then. Why not a more convenient and just time? And why come as a baby? Adam came as a man! As a baby Jesus needed help to grow, which makes it a more risky venture. We see though from this, how God wants us to share in His plan of salvation. We also see how our God loves the 'Seedtime and Harvest' principle. The Bible is full of it. Sowing and reaping worked for Him back then and still works for us today.
"As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." Genesis 8:22

Jesus came as a little seed planted in the earth and soon there were 2 converts - his mum and dad. Then His cousin John the Baptist and soon after that 12 disciples who multiplied into 120 at the upper room, not to mention the crowds that followed Him and those He healed. This later multiplied to a third of the Roman Empire after Jesus' death. Millions upon millions have followed Jesus since then and His plan is for the whole world to be filled with His glory. Again this will only happen with the help of those who are looking after the seed. The number of Christians around the world has nearly quadrupled in the last 100 years, from about 600 million in 1910 to more than 2 billion in 2010. Look at the Seedtime and Harvest Principle. One apple contains five seeds. Each seed can create one tree. Each tree will bear fourteen bushels which is approx 672lbs = 305 kilos. Now take fourteen bushels from one tree and remove five more seeds from each apple and plant them. Before you're finished, you have the potential to turn the earth into one giant orchard. God's desire is to fill the whole earth with His glory through His precious seed - Jesus.
"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." Habakkuk 2:14 "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5

God gave a seed for a desired result and that was for a big family. When something leaves our hand towards God, then something leaves God's hand back to us..
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38

When we give, immediately God schedules a harvest back to us again and consistent giving will always bring a lifetime of consistent reaping. Look at this verse.
Ecclesiastics 11:1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.

It may take a while but your harvest will come in eventually. The early Israeli people of Canaan Land were a nomadic people travelling from one place to another, and lived especially near the rivers. They would plant their crops next to the river and then throw some of the seed into the water. It would go down stream and germinate on another river bank, further downstream. When these people arrived at these places in the next season there would be an instant harvest waiting for them there. When you live a life of sowing, God will come through for you in times of crisis,

because you have done your homework and sown your seed for the future. Its wonderful to live this way, and resting on this kind of knowledge helps you to live a stress free life. God gives seed to the Sower. Some of it is for eating and some of it for sowing. Don't keep the seed that you are supposed to sow otherwise you'll miss the harvest that you are meant to reap later on.
"Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness." 2 Corinthians 9:10

Thanks be to God that He gave His son and that we are now part of the great harvest. One big problem today is that we want to wait until a more convenient time in order to sow our seed. Life is never convenient is it? When people die it never seems to be the right time and other problems that arise in life are always at the wrong time. The Levite and Priest walking on the road to Jericho found the wounded man at an inconvenient time and passed him by on the other side, for they were in a hurry. I knew a couple in the seventies who didn't want to have a child born into the world back then as it was for them a dangerous time in the world. We mustnt keep waiting for all the conditions to line up either in order to sow our seed, but be prepared to sow in the hard inconvenient times.
Genesis 26:12-14 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.

Isaac sowed when there was a famine in the land yet still reaped an abundant harvest. So often we only sow when we have an abundance and things are convenient and not in faith. God wants us to sow in faith even when it hurts and promises that He will multiply the seed. We must always put God first with our tithes and offerings for He has said that He will always come through for us. Remember the movie called Faith like Potatoes? It's all about an African Farmer who managed to grow potatoes in a drought just like Isaac did in the bible. He sowed in faith and the principle still worked thousands of years later. Earlier this year I won a Samsung S smart phone on Trademe for a really good price. Soon after God told me to give it away to another minister. It wasn't as if he was poor either, but God wanted me to bless him. Who knows he may have just given something away himself and God was blessing him back again. Today I have a Galaxy S3 which is 3 times better than that phone and it all came through God giving back to me again. Sometimes I'm amazed at what God has blessed me with, especially when it comes to technology and a great computer to do my work on, but I'm reminded of all the seed that I have sown in the past and it wasn't always at a convenient time. I must have given away over 30 computers in the last 10 years and lots of screens as well. As I have said before, Bernice and I have given away cars in our ministry and God has always blessed us back again. We may not have the fanciest car to look at now, but it really goes well and hasn't given any trouble in the last 5 years. It's like the Tabernacle in the wilderness. The Tabernacle was covered in badger skins on the outside yet filled with gold and glory on the inside, and so is my car. We may not look much as Christians either on the outside but we are bigger and better on the inside. Amen! Jesus may not have looked much on the outside either - just a baby. But oh what potential, oh what a harvest of souls has been reaped down through the ages.
Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Lets go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child," Luke 2:10..17