The Law of the Harvest: Is It a Gospel of Grace or a System of Karma?

[00:00:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
We stand on our feet as we worship the Lord this morning.
[00:00:58] We're so glad you're in the house.

[00:01:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_13]:
I'll praise when I'm sure I'll praise when I'm doubted I'll praise when I'm known but Praise when surrounded Cause praise is the water My enemy drowned in Let's sing it out together As long as I'm breathing I've got a reason to pray

[00:01:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
Come on!
[00:02:16] Praise the Lord always so I'll praise when I feel it And I'll praise when I don't I'll praise cause I know You're still in control Come on!

[00:02:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_13]:
As long as I'm breathing, I've got a reason to praise the Lord, oh my soul
[00:03:14] Come on, let's put our hands together.
[00:03:34] We're gonna sing this out like we believe it this morning.
[00:03:35] Come on, did you come ready to praise Him?
[00:03:36] Oh, praise cause you're sovereign.
[00:03:38] Praise cause you reign.
[00:03:38] Praise cause you rose and defeated the grave.
[00:03:39] Praise cause you're faithful.
[00:03:40] Praise cause you're true.

[00:03:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
Come on!

[00:04:05] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Come on!

[00:04:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
I won't be quiet

[00:05:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Are you guys ready to sing to the Lord this morning?
[00:06:19] Come on.
[00:06:19] All you worthy Jesus.
[00:06:20] We give thanks to You, Lord Your love endures forever Your grace is an open door
[00:06:23] The mercy is our treasure When we were in darkness you came Your light fills our hearts So fill this house with praise
[00:06:55] Our strength and our defense And our salvation are Thee
[00:07:31] Presence.

[00:08:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
Our strength and our defense Our salvation

[00:08:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
There's no other name that could say Shall we call upon the name of the Lord There's no other name that could say Shall we call upon the name of the Lord There's no other name that could say

[00:09:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
So we call upon the name of the Lord You are our God And You are our God Our strength and our defense Our salvation, our defense

[00:09:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Our saving, our defense Our salvation, our deliverance There's no other name that could save us

[00:10:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
Amen.

[00:10:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
There's no other name we call upon but the name of the Lord.
[00:10:15] Amen?
[00:10:15] Before you're seated this morning, turn around, high five your neighbor, and welcome to Lake City.

[00:10:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Hey everybody, welcome to Lake City.
[00:10:42] It is so cool to see you.
[00:10:43] If today's your first day, I want you to take out your worship guide and fill out the guest card.
[00:10:48] Then you can take the guest card to the Welcome Center.
[00:10:50] Once you're back there, we have a free gift just for you.

[00:10:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Lake City, we are so excited.
[00:10:56] A revival conference is right around the corner.
[00:10:59] If you have a youth student, you need to sign them up as soon as possible.
[00:11:03] You could register them on the Church Center app.
[00:11:06] And guys, we do not want money to be an issue.
[00:11:08] The cost of it is $50, but if your student can't afford it or you know of a student who can't afford it, we have sponsorships and donations available for them, so please sign them up and don't hesitate to reach out.
[00:11:20] Email me, daniel at lakecitychurch.org for more information.

[00:11:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Hey guys, I just want to invite you to join us on January 12th, 13th, and 14th for our three-day fast.
[00:11:32] It is really amazing what God does in this time, and we really would love for you to be a part of it.
[00:11:39] We have a meeting every night and just have prayer together, so we expect God to do great things, so please join us on this fast.

[00:11:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
If you're a man, you know it.
[00:11:49] You need to come to the Ironman Breakfast.
[00:11:52] If you've never checked one out, come check us out this Saturday morning.
[00:11:55] We have a great breakfast, awesome time of fellowship.
[00:11:57] We get in the Word together, and we can't wait to see you.
[00:12:00] So be there or be square.

[00:12:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Well, that's all we've got for you today, guys.
[00:12:03] Thanks so much for being here.
[00:12:05] You can check us out on all of our socials.
[00:12:07] And remember, we love you, God loves you.
[00:12:10] Make it a great day.

[00:12:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Well, Happy New Year, everyone, the first Sunday of 2026.
[00:12:18] You know, New Year's are full of resolutions.
[00:12:22] They're full of new challenges.
[00:12:24] But I'm here to say that it's also full of blessings.
[00:12:27] And I don't know if you're excited, but I'm excited as well.
[00:12:31] And, you know, resolutions are kind of funny, right?
[00:12:33] We all start gung-ho and we're going to do this and we're going to do that.
[00:12:37] and you start with these grand visions and you know for me I decided I want to start studying every named person in the Bible and I want to know their story.
[00:12:46] So this week I started out in Genesis only to learn that there's 344 named people in Genesis.
[00:12:53] So it's still early and it's okay to reset your New Year's resolutions if you want to, alright?
[00:12:59] But hopefully you guys saw the fencing when you came in this morning.
[00:13:06] You also probably noticed a very crowded parking lot this morning.
[00:13:10] So I just pray that you guys just be patient with us, be patient with our parking team.
[00:13:16] Give them a lot of grace when you're out there.
[00:13:19] These guys come in every week, week after week, and they work really, really hard to try to keep you guys safe and keep the traffic flowing.
[00:13:27] But if all goes well, by this time in the summer, maybe sooner,
[00:13:32] we're going to have like 150 or 200 new parking spaces opening up very very soon and so yeah hallelujah so make room started as a a funding initiative and a planning initiative it has fully changed into a full-blown construction initiative at this point and so uh those of you that have given we just want to say thank you for supporting this effort it's happening and we're moving forward
[00:14:02] We're also going to leave that fund open through the construction project.
[00:14:06] And if you guys feel led to continue giving to that, you know, that would be incredible.
[00:14:10] Every dollar that comes into that will go straight into the project.
[00:14:14] And it's one less dollar we have to finance for this overall effort.
[00:14:19] And I don't know about you guys, but I'm excited about what 2026 has to offer and the blessings that God is going to pour out on us.
[00:14:26] Can we stand this morning?
[00:14:28] And I'm just going to pray this.
[00:14:29] Lord,
[00:14:30] I pray right now that you pour out your blessings upon this congregation.
[00:14:36] I pray that you pour your blessings out upon this town and the surrounding areas, Lord.
[00:14:40] Lord, we know that we are highly blessed and favored people, and we thank you today for that.
[00:14:47] And in the name of Jesus we pray, amen.

[00:15:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]:
Be the mountain where I run The fountain I drink from Oh, is my song And let the King of my heart Be the shadow where I hide The ransom for my life Oh, is my song
[00:15:36] You are good, good, oh You are good, good, oh You are good, You're good, oh You are good, so good, oh
[00:16:10] Let the King of my heart be the fire inside my veins The echo of my days, oh, he is my song And let the King of my heart be the wind inside my sails
[00:16:43] All is my song and let the King of my heart be the thorn inside my veins The echo of my days All is my song cause you are good

[00:17:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
You're never gonna let, you're never gonna let me down

[00:19:02] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
You're never gonna let You're never gonna let me down You're never gonna let

[00:19:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
You are good, good, oh You are good, good, oh Yes, You are good, so good, oh You are good, good

[00:19:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]:
I know that You're never gonna let, You're never gonna let me down God You're never gonna let, You're never gonna let me down No matter the season You're never gonna let, You're never gonna let me down

[00:20:25] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Let me die

[00:21:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Every choice we make, every word we speak, every step we take, is a seed placed in the ground.
[00:21:43] Some seeds are sown in faith, trusting God with what we cannot see yet.
[00:21:50] Some are sown in fear,
[00:21:53] Holding back, protecting ourselves, choosing comfort.
[00:21:58] And most days, we don't notice the ground changing.
[00:22:02] But over time, something always begins to grow.
[00:22:07] Galatians 6 reminds us, a man reaps what he sows.
[00:22:13] What we reap is never accidental.
[00:22:16] It reflects what has been planted, nurtured,
[00:22:23] because the future we hope for starts with what we sow right now.

[00:22:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Good morning, everybody.
[00:22:36] Happy New Year.
[00:22:37] Are you guys excited about a brand new year?
[00:22:41] Yesterday, last year is all gone.
[00:22:46] Some of you are saying, thank God.
[00:22:48] But I want to speak something over you in faith, and that is I believe this is going to be the best year of your life.
[00:22:56] So how many of you want to receive that?
[00:22:59] Yes!
[00:23:00] I just speak that over you in faith.
[00:23:02] I speak it over my life, over our family's life.
[00:23:07] This is going to be an amazing year, and I can't wait to see what God is going to do in us and through us for God's glory.
[00:23:15] You know, if that is your heart posture that we want whatever happens this year, we want it to bring honor and glory to Him, it changes everything.
[00:23:23] And so it changes the way you view the different obstacles and instances and issues that you have to deal with.
[00:23:32] When you see it from the lens of we want everything to bring honor and glory to Him.
[00:23:37] And I believe this year is going to be one of those years that is just going to be phenomenal.
[00:23:43] That being said, one week from tomorrow is the beginning of our three-day churchwide fast.
[00:23:49] And I hope every one of you are planning to be a part of that.
[00:23:52] Because it is life changing.
[00:23:54] It will change your life.
[00:23:56] It will change your marriage.
[00:23:57] It will change your family.
[00:23:58] It might change your finances.
[00:24:00] I know it will change a lot in your life as we plant the good seed of fasting and praying, just seeking God.
[00:24:08] And God always hears our prayers and He honors us when we seek Him.
[00:24:13] God bless you.
[00:24:14] I know you're planning to be a part of that.
[00:24:16] Each evening, 6.30 to 7.30, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday evening.
[00:24:19] On Wednesday night, water baptism.
[00:24:21] If you've recently committed your life or recommitted your life to Christ, go online, register to be baptized in water.
[00:24:28] It's just going to be a phenomenal, powerful, life-changing week.
[00:24:34] So, are you guys ready to dive into the Word?
[00:24:36] Oh, I love it.
[00:24:37] Father, in the next few minutes, we just open our hearts wide and we ask that you would speak to us.
[00:24:45] Lord, help us to see something that maybe we've not seen before or to understand what you're saying to us about what we will hear today.
[00:24:55] Lord, your word is powerful.
[00:24:59] More powerful than a double-edged sword.
[00:25:02] And so God, we just say everything that you show us, we will be obedient to it.
[00:25:08] And Lord, we pray all this in the mighty and the powerful name of Jesus.
[00:25:11] And everybody said amen.
[00:25:12] Hallelujah.
[00:25:13] Thank you for the yo's.
[00:25:15] Today, we're beginning a brand new year with a brand new teaching series called Sowing and Reaping.
[00:25:23] And our theme verse for this series comes from Galatians 6-7 and where it says, a few of you guys, a little inside thing, Galatians 6-7 says, Don't be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a person sows, he will also reap.
[00:25:42] I was thinking about that passage and thinking about if I were to write my own paraphrase of that passage, I think the Spradley version would go something like this.
[00:25:59] You can't fool God, whatever you sow in this life you will reap in this life and beyond.
[00:26:04] Your seed will always determine your harvest.
[00:26:09] The biblical principle that we're going to focus on in this series is the thought that everything in your life is grown from the things that you have sown.
[00:26:20] That includes your health, your finances, your relationships, your business, your career, and a whole lot of other things.
[00:26:27] It's the simple principle of sowing and reaping.
[00:26:33] One of the places that Diane and I love to go and visit is the Amish communities in Pennsylvania, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to be exact.
[00:26:44] I mean, it's like going back in time.
[00:26:46] How many of you have been there to the Amish communities?
[00:26:49] It's so beautiful.
[00:26:50] After each service,
[00:26:52] A few people have come up and say, yeah, we've been there.
[00:26:55] It's really cool.
[00:26:55] And it is.
[00:26:56] If you've never been to the Amish communities there in Lancaster County, I mean, it's like going back in time, the horses and the buggies and the horse-drawn plows and wagons.
[00:27:05] There are miles of pristine farms as far as you can see.
[00:27:09] And they have some of the most beautiful and the most productive gardens and farms anywhere in the world.
[00:27:17] It makes you wonder what is the secret to growing such good things?
[00:27:24] Diane and I have many Christian friends that we have kind of grown up with over the years.
[00:27:32] Some of them we've known for decades, and their marriages are strong and secure.
[00:27:38] Their kids and their grandkids, and now their great grandkids are prospering and serving God.
[00:27:44] Their lives are amazingly fruitful and fulfilling.
[00:27:47] And it makes you wonder, what's the secret to growing such good things?
[00:27:53] Do good things just accidentally happen for some farmers and some families?
[00:27:58] No!
[00:27:59] Absolutely not.
[00:28:00] The secret to growing good things is sowing good things.
[00:28:06] In other words, it begins with the right kind of seed.
[00:28:10] Galatians 6-7 in the Message Version says, Don't be misled.
[00:28:16] No one makes a fool of God.
[00:28:19] What a person plants, he will harvest.
[00:28:23] The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others, ignoring God, harvests a crop of weeds.
[00:28:32] All he'll have to show for his life is weeds.
[00:28:36] But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.
[00:28:46] So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued in doing good.
[00:28:50] At the right time, notice that, at the right time, we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up and quit.
[00:29:01] When our four kids were growing up, I had all these little sayings, these dad-isms that I would share with them to the point that they would say, Okay, Dad, we've heard that before.
[00:29:12] But you know, you keep saying the same things.
[00:29:14] And one of the things I used to say, especially when they were doing something that was a little hard, a little bit difficult, maybe routine, boring, I would always tell them this, Guys, if you do the right thing long enough, you'll get the right result.
[00:29:29] And they would look at me like, oh, dad, we're doing this.
[00:29:33] If you do the right thing long enough, you'll get the right result.
[00:29:38] And it's true, if you do the right thing long enough, you'll get the right result.
[00:29:44] It's the principle of sowing and reaping, but sowing always precedes reaping, and reaping takes time.
[00:29:54] So in this first message of the new series, I want to talk with you about sowing for the future.
[00:30:02] A wise farmer is always thinking ahead about what he wants to reap in the future.
[00:30:10] And speaking about farmers, my father was a farmer for the first half of his life.
[00:30:17] He and his family were poor tenant farmers in rural South Georgia.
[00:30:22] And my father's father, when I say poor, I mean they were really poor.
[00:30:27] And if you know anything about
[00:30:28] Tenant farmers.
[00:30:29] They don't own the land.
[00:30:30] They just work the land.
[00:30:32] They live in the shack that happens to be on the land.
[00:30:35] They were so poor.
[00:30:37] My father's father died when he was in sixth grade.
[00:30:39] And being the second oldest, he had to quit school in the sixth grade and go to work in the cotton fields to be able to provide support for his 13 brothers and sisters.
[00:30:49] Yeah, 13 brothers and sisters.
[00:30:53] So maybe, just maybe, I got some kind of a connection with the soil.
[00:30:57] I don't know.
[00:30:57] But Diana and I are what you might call hobby farmers.
[00:31:02] We love the look and the feel of the farm.
[00:31:06] I even like the smell of the farm.
[00:31:10] And some people are like, what is that smell?
[00:31:13] It's cows.
[00:31:14] Doesn't it smell good?
[00:31:16] You're like, no, it doesn't smell good.
[00:31:19] Something happens when you've been out in the country for a while and you smell the smells that come along with the country, the cows and the horses and all of that stuff.
[00:31:28] And we love the look and the feel of the farm.
[00:31:31] I'm just glad we don't have to depend solely on the farm for our livelihood or I'd be a whole lot skinnier, which probably wouldn't be a bad thing.
[00:31:40] Maybe some of you have parents who were farmers, or maybe some of you are hobby farmers.
[00:31:46] I don't know.
[00:31:47] But the truth is that whether we realize it or not, we're all farmers.
[00:31:52] We're all farmers in the sense that our lives are a series of sowing and reaping.
[00:31:59] Sewing and reaping.
[00:32:00] I know it's hard for young people who are walking around with earbuds and playing video games to think of themselves as farmers, but they are.
[00:32:08] It's hard for stay-at-home moms who are attending children all day long to think of themselves as farmers, but they are.
[00:32:16] It's hard for men and women who are working full-time in the office or the shop or wherever it is to think of themselves as farmers.
[00:32:24] But the truth is, we're all farmers.
[00:32:27] You are a farmer.
[00:32:29] Turn to your neighbor and say, you are a farmer.
[00:32:32] Kind of weird, isn't it?
[00:32:40] But it's true.
[00:32:41] You are a farmer.
[00:32:42] And your life is simply a series of sowing and reaping.
[00:32:48] The question is, what are you sowing?
[00:32:54] And if you want to know what you're sowing, just look at what you're reaping.
[00:33:00] Because what you're reaping today is a reflection of what you were sowing yesterday.
[00:33:07] Some people look at their life and they complain about how difficult their life is, or how unfair their situation, or how they were rejected for a job opportunity, or how low their salary is in comparison to somebody else, or how unhappy their marriage is, and it could go on and on.
[00:33:24] But in some of these cases, they're simply reaping now what they sowed before.
[00:33:30] They're harvesting a crop of weeds, as Paul put it in Galatians 6-7.
[00:33:37] Can you think of someone who is harvesting a crop of weeds?
[00:33:42] I don't want you to spend a whole lot of time thinking about this, but can you think of somebody that you know that's harvesting a crop of weeds?
[00:33:49] Maybe they can't get a job because of shoddy work
[00:33:53] From a previous job.
[00:33:55] Maybe they have their car repossessed because they didn't make the payment.
[00:33:58] Maybe their kids are rebellious and out of control because they didn't discipline when they were younger.
[00:34:04] Maybe their whole roof has to be replaced because they failed to repair that small leak when it first started.
[00:34:11] And on and on it could go.
[00:34:13] The fascinating thing to me is that it's always someone else's fault.
[00:34:17] It's always something else's fault.
[00:34:20] But the truth really is that they're reaping now what they sowed before.
[00:34:25] That's exactly what Galatians 6-7 says.
[00:34:29] It says a man or a woman reaps what he sows.
[00:34:35] Someone might say, well, Pastor Rob, you know, the devil did this to me.
[00:34:42] Maybe, but more likely, it's not the devil.
[00:34:46] More than likely, it's not coincidental or even accidental.
[00:34:50] Most of the time, we're reaping what we sowed.
[00:34:52] Unfortunately, some people sowed a crop of weeds.
[00:34:58] So let's get personal.
[00:35:01] How's your garden growing?
[00:35:05] And what kind of seed are you sowing now for your future harvest?
[00:35:11] It sounds a whole lot like investing for the future, doesn't it?
[00:35:16] Because it is investing for your future.
[00:35:21] Sowing and reaping.
[00:35:21] Years ago, I was out street witnessing and I came upon a man.
[00:35:27] He referred to himself as a homeless drunk.
[00:35:31] And he shared with me his whole life story.
[00:35:34] And he told me that early in his life he was a churchgoer.
[00:35:37] and that in the earlier part of his life he was actually a professor at a local university he told me that he was married he had adult children and finally I stopped him and I said well what happened and I'll never forget what he said in response he said this he said I sowed some bad seed
[00:35:59] And this is the result.
[00:36:02] Immediately, the verse came to mind in Job 4 verse number 8 where it says, Those who plow evil and sow trouble, reap it.
[00:36:12] This man had sowed trouble and he reaped it.
[00:36:18] Now I want to show you something.
[00:36:21] You can't see it very well from where you're at.
[00:36:23] This is a seed.
[00:36:25] This is a corn seed.
[00:36:27] It's actually Indian corn, so it's not good for much, although Diana loves it.
[00:36:32] It's good for decorating, I guess.
[00:36:33] But at any rate, if I take this corn seed and I plant, if I sow this corn seed, what do you think I'll reap?
[00:36:43] Wheat?
[00:36:44] Cucumbers?
[00:36:46] Green beans?
[00:36:47] Of course not!
[00:36:48] I'll reap exactly what I sow every time, no exceptions.
[00:36:54] And in the same way, if I plant good seed, good things in my life, I will reap good things in my life, every time.
[00:37:04] The thing is, seeds are very powerful.
[00:37:06] It doesn't look very powerful, but it is very powerful because what you plant now will determine your future.
[00:37:15] So I would like to pass along to you three secrets about sowing seeds in your life.
[00:37:22] Okay, are you ready?
[00:37:22] It's in your notes.
[00:37:24] Three quick secrets.
[00:37:26] Number one, every thought, every attitude, every action is a seed.
[00:37:37] Thoughts grow.
[00:37:39] Attitudes grow.
[00:37:42] Actions grow.
[00:37:45] These things are seeds, and they always produce some kind of fruit in your life.
[00:37:51] So ask yourself, what kind of thoughts am I thinking?
[00:37:54] What kind of attitudes am I nurturing?
[00:37:56] What kind of actions am I demonstrating?
[00:37:59] Because remember, they're not meaningless expressions.
[00:38:02] They're powerful seeds that will be reaped at some point in your future.
[00:38:09] Sowing and reaping.
[00:38:12] I knew a man who always thought he was going to be poor.
[00:38:16] And he actually told people that he was going to be poor.
[00:38:21] And then he began to tell people that he was going to die poor.
[00:38:25] And guess what?
[00:38:28] He did!
[00:38:29] He did!
[00:38:30] Proverbs 4.23 says, Be careful what you think, because thoughts run your life.
[00:38:37] Everything begins with a thought.
[00:38:39] I think I'm talking to somebody here.
[00:38:42] Be careful what you think.
[00:38:43] Be careful what you speak.
[00:38:47] Thoughts will run your life.
[00:38:50] Everything begins with a thought.
[00:38:51] Every attitude, every action.
[00:38:55] Job 34 verse number 11 says God pays people back for what they have done and he gives them what their actions deserve at the end of the day God is watching over every seed that we plant and that's why you can be assured that what you sow in your thoughts what you sow in your attitudes what you sow in your actions you will reap because God oversees every seed that we plant
[00:39:24] Number two, the second secret about seeds is that every seed grows something.
[00:39:31] Be it good or be it bad.
[00:39:33] In the world of agriculture, farmers are familiar with something called GMO seeds.
[00:39:41] We had some farmers at the last service and they came up to me afterwards and said, yep, we're tracking with you, we know exactly.
[00:39:46] GMO seeds, that's genetically modified organisms.
[00:39:49] These seeds, say some, are designed specifically so that the plants, when they have seeds, then their seeds don't grow, therefore forcing the farmers to have to buy new seed every single season.
[00:40:01] Now, there's some debate about all that, and we'll leave that to the experts, but one thing we do know from Scripture is that every seed that is planted in your life will grow something.
[00:40:14] So be careful what kind of seed you allow in your garden of life.
[00:40:20] And I want to give just a special caution to parents with children, especially younger children.
[00:40:28] And that is this, be careful what kind of seeds you allow into your child's garden.
[00:40:36] This is so important.
[00:40:39] I was talking to a couple after the second service and they are sending their children to a Christian school.
[00:40:47] They have had, like everyone who sends their children to Christian school, they're sacrificing to do it because it costs extra.
[00:40:58] The government at this point hasn't really kicked in sufficiently and so, you know, they're paying for this Christian education.
[00:41:06] But they told me how
[00:41:07] How valuable it was to them because every single day their children are exposed to Christian people and Christian principles being taught.
[00:41:18] And I will tell you this as a parent of four children and now 16 grandchildren and one great grandchild, that you will never, ever, ever for your entire life regret investing and exposing your children to
[00:41:32] To Christian education and pointing them toward Christ and the seeds that you plant in their little garden as children is so important.
[00:41:45] I'm very proud of some of you young parents.
[00:41:48] I hear of you monitoring TV shows and movies that your children are watching.
[00:41:55] I hear of you monitoring phones and computers and monitoring the friends that they spend time with.
[00:42:01] And by the way,
[00:42:02] Your children won't like it.
[00:42:05] But do it anyway.
[00:42:06] Here's why.
[00:42:08] Because God has given you the responsibility.
[00:42:12] And every seed grows something.
[00:42:14] Make sure it's growing what you want it to grow.
[00:42:19] Well, here's number three.
[00:42:20] The third secret about seeds, and this is really my favorite, is this.
[00:42:25] Every crop can be changed.
[00:42:29] Every crop can be changed.
[00:42:31] If you don't like what you see growing in your life right now, you can change it.
[00:42:36] And you do that by changing the kind of seed that you're sowing.
[00:42:39] If you need more affection in your marriage, sow more love.
[00:42:42] If you need more favor in your job, sow more excellence.
[00:42:45] If you need more financial increase, sow more generosity and so forth and so on.
[00:42:54] The homeless drunk can literally change his future crop in life by changing his thoughts, by changing his attitudes, by changing his actions.
[00:43:04] He doesn't have to settle for a crop of weeds.
[00:43:08] And here's what God wants you to know and take away today.
[00:43:12] It's that you don't have to settle for a crop of weeds in your life.
[00:43:19] You don't.
[00:43:20] You don't have to settle for a crop of weeds in your finances, in your family, in your marriage, your business, your career, your spiritual life, or anywhere else.
[00:43:28] You can change your crop by changing your seed.
[00:43:31] I'm going to say that again.
[00:43:33] Ooh, I hope you get it.
[00:43:35] Walk out of here with this and it'll be worth the price of your ticket getting in.
[00:43:39] You can change your crop by changing your seed.
[00:43:46] I love the way Hosea 10 verse number 12 puts it.
[00:43:50] It says, sow with a view to righteousness.
[00:43:54] Sow with a view to righteousness.
[00:43:56] In other words, when you sow the right kind of seed, you can expect the right kind of harvest.
[00:44:01] I don't know how you feel about it, but I am so thankful that I am not stuck permanently with any bad crops of the past because I can sow better seed and expect a better harvest.
[00:44:13] Oh, I hope you get this one.
[00:44:16] What you have been and what you have grown does not have to dictate your future.
[00:44:24] You can change your crop by changing your seed.
[00:44:31] Look at the encouragement that Paul gave to the Christians at the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse number 9 and at first it doesn't sound very encouraging but you get about three quarters of the way through this passage and it really is encouraging.
[00:44:46] Listen, he said, do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?
[00:44:52] Do not be deceived.
[00:44:54] Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor so on, will inherit the kingdom of God.
[00:45:10] And that is what some of you were.
[00:45:14] Past tense.
[00:45:15] That's what some of you were, but, and here's one of the big buts of the Bible, but you were washed.
[00:45:23] Somebody say amen, hallelujah.
[00:45:25] You were sanctified, set apart.
[00:45:28] You were justified.
[00:45:30] That word justified means made just as if you had never sinned.
[00:45:33] You were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
[00:45:39] What Paul is saying is that when you put your faith in Christ and you begin to sow a new kind of seed, you were past tense, all of these things, but now in Christ you are just as if you had never sinned and there is a new and better harvest in your future.
[00:45:55] Come on, y'all!
[00:45:56] Bum, bum, bum, bum, hallelujah!
[00:46:00] Yes!
[00:46:03] Finally, in 2 Corinthians 5.17, Paul tells us,
[00:46:08] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
[00:46:14] The old has gone, the new has come.
[00:46:18] Maybe you've sown some bad seed along the way.
[00:46:24] And maybe you're seeing some weeds as a result.
[00:46:28] As we enter this brand new year of 2026, I just want to encourage you from today on, sow good seeds for your future.
[00:46:38] and enjoy the blessings of sowing and reaping.
[00:46:43] Amen.
[00:46:43] Let's pray together.
[00:46:44] Father, thank you so much for the truth of your word.
[00:46:48] Help us to wrap our brains around what you're showing us here today.
[00:46:54] Lord, I pray that from today through the rest of this year we'll reap wonderful
[00:47:00] Fruit from the garden of our lives that will bring honor and glory to you.
[00:47:05] I thank you in Jesus' name.
[00:47:07] Would you go ahead and stand together with me?
[00:47:10] And as we stand in this moment of prayer with our heads bowed and our eyes closed, I've already decided this year I'm going to plant good seed in my life.
[00:47:22] I believe that you want to plant good seed in your life as well.
[00:47:26] We want to plant good seed so that we can reap a good harvest that will bring glory and honor to God.
[00:47:34] If you want to plant good seed in your life, would you just raise your hand with mine and say, yeah, this year, 2026, I'm going to plant good seed.
[00:47:42] Father, you see hands all over the room.
[00:47:44] Lord, I pray that everyone who says, I want to plant good seed, Lord, help us.
[00:47:51] Lord, I pray that you would help us in our thoughts, help us in our attitudes, help us in our actions.
[00:47:56] Oh God, I pray that every crop of our life this year would simply bring glory and honor to you.
[00:48:05] May you be pleased, Lord.
[00:48:07] And I pray that your blessing would rest upon each individual.
[00:48:11] I pray your blessing upon each family as we plant good seed and honor you.
[00:48:16] And I thank you for it.
[00:48:17] In Jesus' name.
[00:48:20] While our heads are still bowed and our eyes are closed, I want to pray one more prayer.
[00:48:25] Maybe you're here this morning and you're not really sure about your relationship with God.
[00:48:30] In just a moment, I want to pray a prayer for you and for others who would say, I'm not really sure.
[00:48:36] The question I always ask is this.
[00:48:38] If you were to die today, right now,
[00:48:42] Do you know beyond any shadow of a doubt, do you know that you're ready to stand before God?
[00:48:48] If you're not sure, in just a moment I'm going to pray a prayer for you and for others.
[00:48:53] Because you can know with all assurance that Jesus Christ is your Savior and your Lord.
[00:48:59] So all our heads are bowed and Christians are praying really hard.
[00:49:03] If you say, I'm not sure, but I want to be sure, would you just lift up your hand right now?
[00:49:07] Just lift it up and say, please pray for me.
[00:49:09] Just lift it up.
[00:49:10] Say, please pray for me.
[00:49:11] God bless you.
[00:49:12] Others, just lift it up.
[00:49:13] Say, please pray.
[00:49:14] I want to know beyond any shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is my Savior and my Lord.
[00:49:21] Just lift it up.
[00:49:25] Yeah, thank you.
[00:49:27] Anybody else?
[00:49:33] Thank you, Lord, for those that have responded.
[00:49:35] And Lord, I pray now that you would give them the assurance of their salvation.
[00:49:40] In just a moment, I'm going to pray a simple prayer.
[00:49:44] I'm going to ask everyone in the audience to repeat this prayer after me.
[00:49:49] If you raised your hand, you pray this prayer along with the rest of us.
[00:49:52] Pray it from your heart because God will hear you.
[00:49:55] Maybe you didn't raise your hand, but maybe you felt a tugging on the inside.
[00:50:00] That's the Holy Spirit.
[00:50:03] That's the Holy Spirit.
[00:50:04] Now I want to invite you to pray this prayer along with the rest of us.
[00:50:07] Just pray this prayer from your heart.
[00:50:10] God will hear you.
[00:50:12] Let's pray this together.
[00:50:13] Say, God, I know that you love me.
[00:50:17] Because you sent your son Jesus.
[00:50:20] And he died on the cross for my sins.
[00:50:25] Today I repent of my sins.
[00:50:29] I ask you to be my Savior and my Lord.
[00:50:33] And from today on, I'm going to live for you.
[00:50:38] In Jesus' name.
[00:50:40] Amen.
[00:50:40] Amen.
[00:50:41] Come on, y'all.
[00:50:41] Let's give God praise.
[00:50:43] Give Him honor.
[00:50:44] Give Him glory.
[00:50:45] Lord Jesus, we say thank you.
[00:50:49] If you prayed that prayer, I'm so proud of you.
[00:50:51] And I want to encourage you on the way out, go by the I Said Yes to Jesus banner out in the lobby.
[00:50:57] I've got a goodie bag, I call it.
[00:50:59] I've got some literature and I've got a Bible I want to give to you.
[00:51:02] Make sure you go out there and let them give you that little goodie bag.
[00:51:08] You'll be glad you got my special goodie bag because it'll help you in your journey of faith.
[00:51:13] Maybe you're a guest with us this morning.
[00:51:15] If so, thank you so much for being with us.
[00:51:18] One of the things we do every Sunday morning here at Lake City is we share together in the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion.
[00:51:24] And when we do this, we're celebrating the fact that God loved us so much that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus.
[00:51:31] And Jesus loved us so much that He sacrificed His body.
[00:51:35] He gave His body to be bruised and broken for us.
[00:51:38] His blood was shed for us on Calvary's cross.
[00:51:41] The Bible said that without the shedding of His blood, there could be no forgiveness of our sins.
[00:51:46] And so Father, in the next few moments, as we think about the little cracker, it reminds us of the body of Jesus that was bruised and broken for us.
[00:51:58] As we take that little cup of juice, it reminds us of the blood of Jesus that was shed for us.
[00:52:05] that Jesus became the perfect sacrifice and he and he alone could be that sacrifice that would take away the sins of every one of us and so today we remember that and we remember that we are clean we are holy we are righteous because of the blood of Jesus and we say thank you thank you for your great faithfulness in Jesus name amen

[00:52:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]:
You are faithful You are faithful You are faithful

[00:53:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
Let us pray.
[00:53:29] Thou changest not Thy compassions They fail not As Thou hast been Thou forever will be Great is Thy name
[00:53:55] Let us pray.
[00:54:03] Let us pray.
[00:54:18] Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me You are faithful
[00:54:48] In the springtime and harvest Sun and moon and stars in their courses above Joined with all nature in many
[00:55:16] Faithfulness, mercy, and love Great is Thy faithfulness
[00:55:56] Let us pray.
[00:56:21] For sin and a peace I'd endure With thine own dear presence To cheer and to guide Strength for today and bright
[00:57:34] of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit.

[00:58:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
God we thank you today we thank you for the word from our pastor and God as we start the new year we thank you in advance for all the things that you did last year and all the things that you're gonna do this year truly all that we've needed your hand has already provided God
[00:58:49] And so, God, we say thank you in advance.
[00:58:51] Thank you in advance.
[00:58:53] Thank you in advance, God.
[00:58:56] Help us to take the good things in our lives and sow them into the ground, God, where they can grow and be part of your kingdom.
[00:59:03] They can change our family and our church and sow into our community, our neighborhood, our city.
[00:59:11] God, we say thank you for the chance.
[00:59:14] Thank you for the opportunity to be your church.
[00:59:19] in the New Year.
[00:59:21] In Jesus' name.
[00:59:24] In Jesus' name.
[00:59:25] And everybody said, Amen.
[00:59:29] Amen.
[00:59:29] Well, we love you.
[00:59:31] God loves you.
[00:59:33] Make it a great, great day.