July 8, 2012 – Pastor Tim – “Planting of the Seed” – Click to download
1 Corinthians 3:6 and 9 (GNT), “I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plant, but it was God who made the plant grow…9 For we are partners working together for God, and you are God’s field.
Paul said, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plant…” All the seed and all the plants in God’s garden need watering. In Luke 8:6, Jesus said of the stony ground on which the seed fell, “it withered away because it lacked moisture.” He said in Matthew 13:6, “because they had no root they withered away.” If the seed is to grow, the ground must be kept moist. It is because of the lack of constant watering that many of God’s plants are withered instead of growing. A garden is a place for growth. Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 1:3b, “your faith is flourishing [growing] and your love for one another is growing.” And Peter commanded the saints in 2 Peter 3:18 to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Therefore God says to every one of His little gardens in Ephesians 5:18b, “…be filled with the Spirit.” Keep the ground moist. The water is the Spirit “whom God has given to those who obey Him.” (Acts 5:32b) The fullness of the Spirit is the condition of His perfect working.
Every one of the 176 verses of the 119th Psalm shows David’s attitude toward the Word of God. He joyfully acknowledges his obligations to keep God’s precepts diligently. He promised in Psalm 119, v. 8 “I will keep Your statutes…” v. 11 “Your word I have hidden in my heart…” v. 14 “I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches.” v. 15 “I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways.”
v. 16 “I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.” v. 22 “For I have kept Your testimonies.”
v. 23 “Princes also sit and speak against me, but Your servant meditates on Your statutes v. 30a “I have chosen the way of truth…” v. 32a “I will run the course of Your commandments…” v. 44 “So shall I keep Your law continually, forever and ever.” v. 47 “And I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love.” v. 51 “The proud have me in great derision, Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.” v. 54 “Your statutes have been my songs…” v. 57 “You are my portion, O Lord…” v. 60 “I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments.” v. 69 “The proud have forged a lie against me, but I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart.” v. 72 “The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.” v. 77 “…For Your law is my delight.” v. 89 “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.” v. 90 “Your faithfulness endures to all generations…” v. 92 “Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction.” v. 93 “I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life.” v. 97 “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” v. 101 “I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word.” v. 103 “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Sweeter than honey to my mouth!” v. 105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
v. 105 “I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments.” v. 111 “Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, For they are the rejoicing of my heart.” v. 112 “I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes, Forever, to the very end.” v. 113 “I hate the double-minded, But I love Your law.”
v. 117 “Hold me up, and I shall be safe, And I shall observe Your statutes continually.” v. 127 “Therefore I love Your commandments, More than gold, yes, than fine gold!”
v. 128 “Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.” v. 129 “Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul keeps them.”
v. 157 “Many are my persecutors and my enemies, Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies.” v. 161 “…my heart stands in awe of Your word.” v. 162 “I rejoice at Your word
As one who finds great treasure.” All of these statements, and many more, are in Psalm 119. They show us how David watered the Word.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:8, “The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.” They are equal. Watering the seed is as necessary as planting it. God can’t make the seed grow unless we water it.
In 1 Corinthians 3:7 we are told, “It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.” He made His promises for this one purpose. He always makes the seed grow when it is kept in good ground and watered. The growing comes after watering
Jesus also said in Matthew 13:23, “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” It always brings forth fruit.
God’s desire to make the seed grow in our lives is much greater than our desire to see the seed grow—because His love is greater than ours. In fact, in 2 Chronicles 16:9a we see that His benevolence is so great that “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him…” God continually seeks for opportunities to bless those whose attitude of heart makes it possible. What God has promised belongs to us. The justice of God requires that He make the seed grow when it is “planted” and “watered.” In 1 John 1:9 we are told that “He is faithful and just.” The word “just” means God would be unjust to withhold from us what He promises. It is a one hundred percent fact that God makes every seed grow when it is “planted” and “watered.” “…some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” But we are guaranteed results! We can all prove this to our present and eternal delight. God is the best farmer in the universe. He never fails!
Since the work of the “incorruptible seed” is supernatural and it is God alone who makes it grow, they often produce their wonderful results the same day they are “planted.” God’s promises are for TODAY; His TIME is always TODAY.
Hebrews 4:7, “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.”
The promises of God belong to us TODAY, and we are not sure of them any other time (you may not be around to accept them). The only way to be sure of God’s promised blessings is to accept HIS TIME; and we read in 2 Corinthians 6:2b, “…now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Since NOW is the time God accepts, we should accept it as our time. He commands us to hear His voice “TODAY,” and says “Do not harden your hearts” by waiting. Say to God, “You are now working in response to my faith—I count on Your faithfulness.” The moment we make a definite commitment of it to God, the promise (the situation) passes out of our hands into the hands of God. Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:12b, “I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” 1 Peter 5:6-7, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Humble yourself…cast or commit all your ways and cares upon God. God wants it from you because He cares for you.
What is the effect of David’s attitude towards God’s Word—of His watering the seed? This shepherd boy, by watering the Word within him, became wiser than all his teachers. Psalm 119:97-99, “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.
98 You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.
His attitude toward God’s Word made him “a man after God’s own heart.” (Acts 13:22) It made him the world’s greatest Psalmist. His Psalms have blessed millions during the centuries which have followed. His watering of the seed made him a divinely inspired writer. As every seed planted, in turn, produces more seed, so David’s words in the Psalms became God’s “incorruptible seed” which have for centuries germinated in human hearts all over the world. His words have been the text for thousands of sermons.
David said in Psalm 119:50b, “…for thy word hath quickened me.” It quickened his whole being to the extent that God’s Word was fulfilled in him. His life was filled with praise and thanksgiving. How much better to be the Lord’s garden than the devil’s. The possibilities of the “incorruptible seed” are infinite. Nothing can be so beneficial as being God’s garden. Only God can know what the eternal harvest will be. Remember that throughout your Christian life, You are Gods’ field to be planted!
Scripture verses are quoted in New King James Version unless other wise noted