October 27, 2024
Sermon Part 3: “Noah’s Faithfulness Released a Grace on Mankind That All in Christ Must Take Full Advantage of Today!”
Tell me, what’s growing in the garden of your heart? Word Seed, or Worldly Seed? Right now even, what Promise from God’s Word have you planted and are expecting to reap harvests from?
Remember, No Seed Sown, Equals No Harvest Reaped!
Praise the Lord Saints and Happy Sunday!
Introduction
Today, we will start with Genesis 8:21-22. If you have missed any of the prior teachings in this Series you can find them at exousiaministries.net. (See Sermons dated, Oct. 13 & 20, 2024.) Before delving into this Passage of Scripture, keep afresh in your thinking that as born-again Christians, we are always to see and comprehend things from God’s perspective and His Word. Jesus Christ said to Satan, “it is written, that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Thus, we walk by faith in God’s Word, and not by sight. (Luke 4:4 & II Cor. 5:7)
In Christ, our hearts have been regenerated and made perfect by the finished works of Jesus Christ on the cross. God has established His Laws in our hearts, and written them on our minds (soul). And, our sins and iniquities God remembers no more. (Heb. 10:12-18) God dwells in us, and we in Him. (I John 4:15) We have been given the Spirit of the Life and Mind of Jesus Christ, so that Christ might live through us, to reign with Him now, and forevermore. (I Cor. 2:16, II Tim. 1:7, & Rom. 5:17) Glory be to God for the things He has done!
We have the Old Testament of the Holy Bible, which includes heroes of faith like Noah who serve to encourage, equip, and admonish us in the things of God, as we see the Day of the Lord approaching. (Rom. 15:4 & II Peter 3:10) And, oh how grateful all of mankind should be to God, that Noah found grace in the sight of God during his time on earth. Noah, the Father of all humanity after the Flood.
As I have noted throughout the Series, in the days of Noah, he was the only righteous man on the entire planet, and God used him mightily to save his family and the animals to give mankind a fresh start at life with Him. God working to restore the goodness of His creation, established His Covenant of blessings with Noah, essentially the same Covenant that He made with Adam, and an Everlasting Covenant with all of mankind and every living thing in the earth.
Noah was “blessed” because he obeyed all that God instructed him to do in building the Ark. God brought Noah and his family out from a world in which all flesh had corrupted his way; into a new world full of faith and “togetherness” with Him.
Verses 21-22 of Genesis Chapter 8, contain some of the provisions of the Everlasting Covenant. This, after the Flood and Noah’s first act on dry land of building an altar, and liberally sacrificing of the clean animals to God from a heart of thanksgiving. Now, look closely at the Verses.
And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
Saints, note that these are the meditations of the heart of God revealed to Mankind after the Flood. They demonstrate God’s love for humanity and commitment to restore goodness in all the earth. God is faithful to watch over and perform all of His Covenant for our best interest.
God Established An Everlasting Covenant That Endures As Long As the Earth Remains For Our Sakes
Wow, for Mankind’s sake, (our best interest) God Covenanted to never again destroy the earth by water; and that as long as the earth remains, there would be seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, “without ceasing.” Glory be to God, the earth is blessed! God decreed it, and so it is: As long as the earth remains, it’s blessed! In the experience of life, all of humanity has witnessed that this Everlasting Covenant Promise is true and in effect.
Since the days of Noah, there has not been a flood to destroy the earth. Every day Mankind awakens to brand new mercies. Umm, every day the sunrises and sets, the four seasons come and go including cold and heat, and there are times to plant and harvest. Just as God said it would be. Daily Mankind is reminded of God’s faithfulness; and daily, all people should give God “Great” Praise and Honor for the things He has done!
No man can offer an excuse for not believing in God, and searching out and finding God, and worshipping Him alone. For the Bible says that in the heart of every person is embedded the knowledge of the truth of God. (Rom. 1:18-19) Furthermore, Romans 1:20-32 says that the invisible things of God, such as His eternal power and Godhead are clearly seen in the things that are made, and that people are without excuse for not glorifying God when they know him. Man knows instinctively that there is a God. Only the fool has said in his heart that there is no God, and corrupts himself. (Ps.14:1) I say it this way: “Oh simple man, to say there is no God, is to say there is no you!” For God created man in His own image; after His likeness. (Gen.1:26 & 9:6)
So, God established this Everlasting Covenant at Genesis 8:20-21 for the “sake” (best interest) of Mankind. In no way do we as sinful Mankind deserve to have a world with such beauty and richness contained therein. The earth has been given to us by God’s great grace. For in Verse 21, God in His omniscience said that, the “imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Only God can create and sustain goodness in the earth, as man being evil can of himself only destroy the earth. The ways of man always end in death. (Prov.14:12)
The very same destructive and demonic nature authored by Satan that dwelt in man since the fall of Adam, God also knew would continually be found in the heart of Mankind going forward after the Flood. Noah, his wife, and sons and their wives were from birth all infected with sin in their inner-beings. Romans 5:12 makes clear that all were declared unrighteous and subject to death due to Adam’s sin.
No matter how hard Mankind would try to be morally good and abide by God’s Laws, in every dispensation, and Covenant (Adamic, Noahic, Mosaic, and Davidic) mankind trespassed against God. Mankind is prone to sin. God’s law (Mosaic) given to Israel was pure and perfect, but the Law served only to intensify and strengthen sin more. (Rom. 5:20 & 7:13) In hopes that man would come to realize he is “hopeless,” helpless, and “nothing” without God; and in “need” of a Savior.
Only through one man’s obedience to God, Jesus Christ who knew no sin, could all men be made righteous. (Rom.5:17-19) With the finished works of Jesus Christ on the cross, all persons who believe in Him can be reconciled to God and receive new life; a heart inhabited by God and the Godhead complete. Made free from sin through the precious blood of Jesus, and made unto God spiritual kings and priests. (Rev.1:5-6)
Nevertheless, for the sake of Mankind, our Holy and Loving God made Noah and his sons “heirs” of the world. Just as God pronounced Covenant blessings over Adam, He did so over Noah and his sons saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” Also, all things living in the earth and beneath the earth were made subject unto them. (Gen.9:1-3) Animals who before the fall of Adam lived in harmony with man, but after he sinned against God turned into killers of man and predators among and within species. Praise God, every ferocious beast of the earth, great fish of the sea, menacing fowl of the air, and poisonous crawling creature of the earth were all made to fear Noah and his family.
Look at the tender mercy and grace of God applied to Noah, and his family. Although trapped in the trespasses of their sins, God “blessed” Noah and his sons, with the intention of the blessing flowing through all of Mankind in their generations. Meaning God said a “benediction of good” of “prosperity and longevity” over Noah’s family of natural and spiritual consequence. Whatever work Noah did with his hands would be made to prosper mightily, and without the sweat of the brow and toil.
Further, Noah’s words were full of glory (weighty), as whatever words he spoke from his mouth would come to past. As the patriarch of his family, Noah had the material and spiritual power to bless his children with inheritances and release prophetic words that would affect their generations. For remember the Promise of God under the Everlasting Covenant; that as long as the earth remained there would be “seedtime and harvest, without ceasing.” Reaping of bountiful harvests from a man’s labor, and words uttered from his heart, was Noah’s Covenant with God, and still is the grace-filled Promise of God to all generations that love Him, as long as the earth remains.
In Genesis 9:20-21, we see the first demonstration of the Promise of seedtime and harvest after the flood. Whenever God initiates a Covenant with man, He always moves to prove His faithfulness toward man, and tests a man’s trust in Him. The Scripture states that Noah became a “husbandman” (a tiller of the soil/farmer). This, indicating that God revealed to Noah the meditation of His heart, “that as long as the earth remained there would be seedtime and harvest.” Noah knew that the earth was blessed. Noah chose to become a vine-grower and he planted a vineyard.
In planting the vineyard, Noah had to work to prepare the site, dig holes deep enough to accommodate the vine’s root system, place the vines in the soil, and care for them after planting (e.g. firm up the soil around the plants, water the plants, support the vines, and so forth). In the process of time, the “earth” itself caused the vines to grow and ripen sufficient to harvest. I say this again to you, it was the “earth” that grew the vines.
Oh Saints, look out of the window of your homes and behold the trees, grass, and plants and see God’s faithfulness. Someone planted a seed in the ground, nurtured the soil around it, and watered it. And, with sunlight and heaven’s rain, in the process of time, the “earth” caused the seed that was planted to come forth with the fruit of its kind. For God is faithful who has Promised! What a wonder God is!
We also see the blessing of God at work in the life of Noah from a spiritual perspective. As I said before, the words that Noah spoke had the “power” to bless wherever he sent them. But, his words also had supernatural velocity to curse evil committed against him. We see this unfold in Genesis 9:21-27 in an unhappy incident that occurred within the family of Noah.
The story goes as follows. When Noah had harvested the grapes from his vineyard, he made wine, and consumed so much that he got drunk and was uncovered in his tent. Noah’s son Ham, the father of Canaan, (who was Noah’s grandson) “saw” the nakedness of his father and “told” Shem and Japheth (Ham’s brothers). Whatever Ham saw he could have just kept it to himself and helped his father. But instead, he gossiped about it to his brothers. His gossip about his father’s condition was disrespectful and divisive. God expects children to honor their fathers and mothers so that their days may be long on the earth, and that it be well with them. (Eph. 6:1-4)
Shem and Japheth took a garment and covered their father’s nakedness. (Next week, we will delve deeper into this aspect of the incident.) When Noah woke up from his drunkenness, being the Prophet of God, he knew (saw in the Spirit) what Ham had “done” to him and said, “Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.”
The Bible does not tell us explicitly what Ham did to Noah. But, we know it was something with evil intensions, as God had said before that “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” (Gen. 8:21) Likely, it was Ham, with his son Canaan present, who “uncovered” Noah while intoxicated. Leviticus 18, is an entire Chapter devoted to “Immoral Acts” forbidden by God that Moses told the children of Israel they were not to do. They were Commanded not to engage in the abominations of the Egyptians who they were held captive to for 400-years, as well as the doings of the Canaanites. Israel was only to obey God. (Lev.18:3) Among the practices not permitted were the uncovering of the nakedness of family members; as the Commandment started with not uncovering the nakedness of the father or mother. (Lev.18:6-16) To uncover one parent’s nakedness was thought of by God to also uncover the spouse’s nakedness as well; the abomination would in effect bring corruption to the marriage and family unit.
Noah did not pronounce the curse directly against Ham for his actions, as God had already blessed all three of his sons. (Gen. 9:1) Instead, Noah pronounced the curse on his grandson Canaan, while also giving his patriarchal blessing on Shem and Japheth, and omitted blessing Ham.
Notice also throughout this incident, God is silent. There is no admonishment given to Noah for getting intoxicated with wine. Though getting drunk is a sin, as noted throughout many scriptures in the Bible, (Ref. Prov. 20:1, 31:4-7, Gal. 5:21 & Eph. 5:18) in the days of Noah there was no law against it, and Noah was living under the grace of God. The blessing of God was still in full-force and effectual in his life. Noah lived in Covenant with God on earth another 350-years; his life span 950-years. (Gen. 9:28-29). This means that Noah lived long enough, not only to see the earth restored after the Flood, but also to see his sons start families and multiply and replenish the earth. God is faithful who had Promised him!
Of Canaan, Noah prophetically proclaimed that he would be servant to Shem and Japheth. This also provides evidence that Canaan was involved in the incident, because a curse cannot come without a cause, nor would it have effect. (Prov. 26:2) Also, if Canaan had not been involved, it would have been unjust of Noah to single out his line of descendants for servanthood, when Ham also had other children as well. (Gen. 10:6) The curse would have been applied to all of Ham’s offspring, not just Canaan.
Noah pronounced the richest blessing upon Shem, saying “blessed be the Lord God of Shem,” and to Japheth “God shall enlarge Japheth and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem.” (Gen. 9:25-27) For with Noah’s words there would be seedtime and harvest, as spoken from his heart. Like in the natural, Noah planted the vine roots in the earth and harvested grapes, his words spoken over his sons were planted in the ground of his heart, and would come to past. Yes, a man’s “heart and mouth” are connected as long as the earth remains, and there will be seedtime and harvest as God’s Everlasting Covenant Promises.
Jesus Christ described the meditations of a man’s heart, and the power to bring forth from it the things that are spoken, as recorded at Luke 6:45.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
Bible Commentary Shows Noah’s Words Were Mighty upon His Offspring in Their Generations
Noah’s words in blessing, and a curse, worked mightily in the lives of his sons, in their generations. I want to share with you Bible Commentary from a Website called, “You Got Questions,” which provide insights into the genealogy of Noah’s sons, as well as information on the prophetic words of Noah. The Commentary also helps illustrate the power of the “blessing that was on Noah and his words. For “the blessing of the Lord, it maketh, rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” (Prov.10:22)
For clear reference, Commentary states that whenever the names of Noah’s sons are mentioned in Scripture, Shem is always mentioned first because of his prominence rather than his age. Even though he was the second-born. (Gen.9:18, 10:2, 21) Japheth was the eldest son and Ham was the youngest. (Gen. 10:21 and 9:24) The Commentary with Scripture, provides the following details:
According to Genesis 10:21, “Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.” This is important because the word Eber is the origin of the Hebrew word for “Hebrew.” The word Shem means “name,” which implies that Noah expected this son’s name to become great. He was right—the modern words Semitic and Semite are derived from Shem’s name. The Bible records that Shem had five sons: Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram (Genesis 10:22).
Shem lived to be 600-years (Genesis 11:10–11) and became the ancestor of the Semitic peoples (Genesis 10:1, 21–31). Abraham, a descendant of Shem, is the first person in the Bible who is referred to as a “Hebrew” (Genesis 14:13).
Scripture shows us that Noah blessed Shem above his brothers (Genesis 9:26–27), and it was through Shem that the promised seed destined to crush Satan came (Genesis 3:15). That seed is traced back to Adam’s son Seth (Genesis 5:1–32), through Shem, and on to Abraham, Judah, and David, leading all the way to Jesus Christ. (Luke 3:36).
Shem’s son Elam was the father of the Elamites, who later settled east of Mesopotamia. Shem’s son Ashur, whose name is related to the word Assyria, is most likely the father of those who settled the ancient region of Assyria (Genesis 2:14). Arphaxad is thought by many scholars to be a compound form of the Hebrew word for “Chaldea,” which was a region in southern Mesopotamia (Genesis 11:10–13). It was through Arphaxad that Eber came. Scholars believe that the descendants of Shem’s son Lud became known as the Lydians of Asia Minor. And Aram is identified by Bible scholars with the area northeast of the Promised Land, known today as Syria (cf. 2 Kings 16:6). The sons of Aram are listed in Genesis 10:23. Of Aram’s sons, Uz is later referred to in the Book of Job (Job 1:1).
Noah’s firstborn son, Japheth, is listed as the father of Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras (Genesis 10:2). Their descendants became the people who lived to the north and west of Israel and, after Babel, spoke what today are classified as Indo-European languages.
In blessing his son Japheth, Noah said, “May God extend Japheth’s territory; / may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, / and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth” (Genesis 9:27). There are two schools of thought regarding what this prophecy about Japheth means.
Some scholars are of the opinion that the enlargement of Japheth’s territory refers to a great numerical increase of his descendants. The comment “may Japheth live in the tents of Shem” means that Japheth will share in the blessings of Shem. According to this view, there was to be a time when God worked primarily with Shem (the people of Israel), but later Japheth would be brought into connection with the faith of Israel to share Israel’s blessings. A similar prophecy is evident in the Abrahamic Covenant, when God promises to bless all nations through Abraham’s seed (Genesis 12:3). The fulfillment is found in Christ and in the gospel coming to the Gentiles at the inception of the Church (Acts 15:7; Romans 15:16; Galatians 2:2). Other scholars are of the opinion that the extension of Japheth’s territory refers to territorial enlargement, and living “in the tents of Shem” is the conquest of the Semites’ territory by Japhethites. According to this view, the fulfillment was the Greek and Roman conquests of Israel.
Ham, the youngest of Noah’s three sons, (for which the curse was pronounced by Noah) had four sons: Cush, Mizraim (Hebrew for “Egypt”), Put, and Canaan (Genesis 10:6; 1 Chronicles 1:8). Egypt was later called the “land of Ham” (Psalm 78:51; 105:23; 106:22). The Hamitic peoples are shown in Genesis 10:6–20 as becoming a godless and worldly power. It was the land of Israel that was assigned to Ham’s son, Canaan, and for centuries it was under the control of the Egyptians. Ham is the father of the Arabians, Canaanites, and Africans, including the Egyptians. As noted earlier, due to Ham’s sin against his father (Genesis 9:20–25), Noah cursed Canaan, saying Canaan would be a servant to Shem (Genesis 9:26). This was fulfilled centuries later when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan and subdued the inhabitants of that land (added, ref. Jos. 9:27; 17:12-13 & 1 Kings 9:20–21).
Truly, the Commentary demonstrates the power of Noah’s words in pronouncing the blessing on his two sons, and a curse on Canaan down through their generations. Proverbs 10:11 says,
The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.
Born-Again of Incorruptible Seed and Everything Produces After Its Own Kind
Now, turning to the Body of Christ, and our New Covenant with God purchased through the precious blood of Jesus. All who name Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are born-again. We are “new creations” in Christ. Meaning, we are “entirely new species” in our regenerated hearts (spirit, soul, and mind of the soul) that never existed before. The old-man nature of Adam that we inherited has passed away forever, and we are to “behold,” that all things have become new. (II Cor. 5:17) When we received Christ, we believed in our hearts and confessed with our mouths, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that God raised Him from the dead on the third-day. (Rom. 10: 8-9) And, by faith, we were made the Righteousness of God.
It was by this Word of Faith, the heart and mouth connection, that we received the free gift of eternal life. We sowed in our hearts “belief” in Christ and reaped faith, righteousness, and salvation through Jesus’ name. The Apostle John wrote, that we were not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12) We were born-again by the “incorruptible seed of the Word of God.” The Apostle Peter wrote at I Peter 1:22-23:
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
As born-again Christians, we should consider ourselves as God’s “precious and imperishable seed” in life and death. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For if we have been united (planted) with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like His. (Rom. 6:5)
From the beginning, God ordered all creation to produce after its own kind. We are of the God-kind. (Gen. 1:20-31) We are born of God, by the Word of God. As such, we must also live and grow spiritually and morally by every Word of God. (I Peter 2:2) When we sow the Word of God (the Commandments/Promises of God under the New Covenant) in our hearts, where the Kingdom of God abides. (e.g. nurturing the ground of our hearts by studying the Word, meditating on the Word, keeping the Word, doing the Word, standing sure on the Word, and sharing the Word); we reap abundant harvests from the Word sown. In so doing, we bring Heaven’s Promises into manifestation in the earth. For God created the earth to mirror the blessedness that is in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matt. 6:10)
Follow along, The Word of God is blessed, Heaven is blessed, we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, the earth is blessed. (Eph.1:3) As such, God expects that everything we say and do should result in the “blessing” bringing forth abundant harvests, from all of the work of our hands, and things we have spoken by the Word of God. We are to be fruitful unto every good work. (John 15:1-5 & Col. 1:10)
Pay special attention to the Words of Jesus Christ in explaining how the Kingdom of God operates, using the “Parable of the Sower.” Jesus pointed out to His disciples the wrong way to sow the Word of God into the Kingdom of God, and then the right way.
14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall awaya18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
32 But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
Let’s focus on the right way to sow the Word of God as Jesus taught, and determine that we will not let the devil, and the lust of the world steal the seed we sow. My God, this is great!
Jesus taught the disciples that when the Word of God is sown into “good soil,” harvests of 30, 60, and an hundred-fold come forth from the Kingdom of God in our hearts. Jesus said that the Word of God is like a mustard seed, that when planted in the earth, sprouts and branches out greater in size than all the seeds in the earth, so that the birds can lodge under it.
Notice in Verse 20 what makes the harvest come bountifully. It’s the planting of the Word of God properly in the earth: the sower “hears” and “accepts” the Word. Meaning, the hearer believes that the Word they hear is true, they behold (see) the Word coming to pass in their lives, they receive the Word into their hearts as being done already with thanksgiving, they seize the Word as their very own, and harvest the fruit of the Word when it comes to past.
In the natural, the farmer exercises faith in reaping a harvest long before planting a crop. He does not wish and hope to receive a harvest. Rather, he first envisions the harvest crop, trusts completely in the earth’s ability to produce it, and then he sets out to cultivate the land, plants the seed, nurtures it, and when the fruit comes forth, he puts in the sickle to harvest. We must follow the same faith process with every Promise of God.
Well praise God, Jesus gave the Parable of the Sower to the disciples before He went to the cross, and “finished all things.” (John 19:30) Now, under the New Covenant, our hearts have already been made “perfect” and “good soil,” ripe for planting and reaping all of the Commandments and Promises of God given to us. (Heb.10:14) The Scripture says, “all of the promises of God are yes and amen in Him to the glory of God the Father.” (II Cor.1:20)
Our part in the New Covenant is to take hold of the Promises of God and believe in our hearts, and confess them with our mouths, without wavering, until the earth (Kingdom of God) brings them forth, and then reap the harvest. The Kingdom of God within us causes the Word-seed sown to sprout, grow, and become ripe for harvest. See our New Covenant duty in Hebrews 10:23.
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
In closing, God is faithful to fulfill the Everlasting Covenant of seedtime and harvest. The question, as I posed from the beginning of this Sermon is, what’s growing in your garden; the Word of God, or worldly seeds? Take this very seriously and ask yourself what have I been planting lately? The Proverb says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Prov.18:21) The things you love to say in your heart, is what you will have in abundance in life.
Have you been diligent in planting the Word of God’s Commandments and Promises into the Kingdom of God? Are you in need of money, a job, new career, healing, or deliverance of any kind? Have you earnestly sowed the Word? With the Word-seed, have you believed the Promise of it, received it, and seized it to ownership in your heart?
Have you become like Noah was in building the Ark, so much more convinced of the truth and reality of God’s Promise for your life, than what you can see and comprehend by your human senses. Not even giving any serious regard to what doubters and persecutors may say or do to you while in pursuit of the Promise of God. This was the faith that Noah walked in while building the Ark 120-years, and resulted in him becoming the heir of Righteousness and ruler of the world!
As new creatures in Christ, we are greater in spiritual richness than God’s first fathers of humanity Adam and Noah. God having through Jesus Christ delivered us from the power of darkness, translated us into the Kingdom of God, and given to us a New Covenant with exceedingly better Promises than those given to the Old Testament Saints. (Heb.8:6) Sadly, however many Christians are letting the Promises of God slip; by allowing Satan to steal the Word, and being consumed by the cares of this world.
So many Christians have liberally been sowing the words and ways of the world into their thought-life (brains), and have provided little or no Word-Seed for the Kingdom of God to produce harvests. (Rom. 12:1-2) More and more we look like, talk like, and act like the world; ever conforming to the world’s corrupt and evil way of doing things. Participating in fearmongering, falsehoods, blasphemies, perversions, animosities, and traditions of men that deny the power of God’s Word and way of doing things. In conforming to the world’s customs, many Christians lose confidence and boldness to speak and holdfast to the Promises of God, and hinder and block God’s goodness from flowing into their lives.
Also, I have heard Christians say they want God to bless them with a new house, job, car, money to pay bills, mended or new relationships, healing, and deliverance. I also hear Christians say “I’m waiting on God to answer my prayers,” that “God is in control,” or God will give me the “desires of my heart.” But, all these sayings are short-sighted; and are blind to the truth, that God is the “Covenant-making and keeping God,” who operates according to the “Promises” He makes within Covenant. Here again the Scripture given last week from Deuteronomy 7:9. As God spoke through Moses about Himself, to the children of Israel, it reads:
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.
Under our New Covenant, God has given to us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. (II Pet. 1:3) We have been made heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. (Rom. 8:17) Everything God possesses, with Christ, He has freely shared with us. (Rom. 8:32) Thus, it is not God’s responsibility to fulfill our request. Rather, the earth (Kingdom of God) is waiting (crying-out) for born-again Christians, the spiritual farmers, to plant precious Word-seed into our made “perfect” hearts. So that we might prove (test, taste, and see) that God is faithful to keep the Everlasting Covenant of seedtime and harvest, with those who love Him, as long as the earth remains.
Now, as a spiritual farmer, consider your own diligence in planting Word-seed within the Kingdom of God, which is in you. Are you expecting harvests to come, blessings to manifest without planting Word-seed? In the natural, will a farmer ever produce corn crops from the cultivated soil of the land, if the corn-seed remains in the barn?
Will he sit in his house and pray to God and miraculously receive a harvest of corn while the corn-seed stays in the barn? The answer is, the farmer will reap “nothing,” because he has not participated in the Promise of seedtime established in the Everlasting Covenant of God. No seed in the ground, equals no harvest in your hands. You cannot reap in a place where you have not sown seed!
This is not to say that God leaves His people without support if we fail to sow and reap according to the Everlasting Covenant. God forbid, not ever! God is faithful even when we are not! (II Tim. 2:13) God is good all the time, and never leaves nor forsakes us. (Heb. 13:5) He never leaves the righteous begging bread. (Ps.37: 25)
But, God gave to us His only begotten Son Jesus that we might have life and life more abundantly. (John 10:10) God has given us an Everlasting Covenant of seedtime and harvest so that we might be fruitful and multiply exceedingly, and be a blessing to others as we reap bountifully. So that, as His sons and daughters, we would not just get by or get ahead. But, so that we would be the “head, and not the tail.” Always on top of the world like Noah was during and after the Flood, and never beneath! (Deut. 28:13)
As such, we must become liberal planters of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God. Believing and accepting the truth that through the finished works of Jesus on the cross every Promise of God was made ready for us to receive into manifestation on earth, and in the world to come. Once planted properly in our hearts, nothing can stop the seed from producing harvests more than you can have room for; great enough for others to benefit from too.
My God, the Kingdom of God in you is waiting for the seed! The Holy Ghost is asking and begging you to plant Word-seed. No matter what your situation is, no matter how long it may seem to take, the Holy Ghost is saying “where is the seed” it’s time to plant the Word! “Stop looking for worldly solutions, and trust in the Everlasting Covenant of sowing and reaping!” The only way a born-again Christian can grow up in God, and the things of God, is if they plant the sincere milk of the Word of God into their hearts. (I Pet. 2:2)
With blind obedience, like Noah had with God, obey the teaching of Jesus, and “Sow the Word.” Hear the Word of God and accept it! As long as the earth remains, this will be the way God’s people will reap material and spiritual harvests. Again, no Word-seed sown, no harvest can be received.
You are blessed of the Lord, take the Promises of God, according to Scripture, and speak them over the lives of your children, in their generations, and leave them with an assured rich material and spiritual inheritance of living under the providential care of the Everlasting Covenant of seedtime and harvest. “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.” (Prov.13:22)
Say Amen to the preaching of the Word of the Living God! For next week, I want everyone to grab hold of a Promise in the Word of God, and we are going to sow it into the Kingdom of God and expect manifold harvests to come and reap them. In preparation for your harvest, we will also teach you how to water the seed sown with your love walk.
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