Harvest of Shame

"HARVEST OF SHAME"

LUKE 12:16-17

INTRO: Harvest time what a wonderful time of the year. Those little seeds

which have been sown in the ground now give back unto us their

bounty. The farmer who has labored and toiled over the soil can now

expect to reap a harvest of the things he has sown. The same is true

of us spiritually. Whatever we sow in our lives we can expect to reap

in the future. Galatians 6:7-8 tells us, "Be not deceived, God is not

mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he

that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that

soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." The

harvest may come in this life or in the life to come. But it will come!

We reap what we sow it is one of God's unalterable laws!

The "War Cry" carried a story about a tenant farmer who had worked

hard for many years to improve the production of the land. Then

something happened that caused him to become very bitter. When it

was time to renew his lease, the owner told him he was going to sell

the farm to his son who was getting married. The tenant made

several generous offers to buy it himself hoping the man's decision

would be reversed. But it was all in vain. As the day drew near for

the farmer to vacate his home, his weeks of angry brooding finally got

the best of him. He gathered seeds from some of the most pesky and

noxious weeds he could find. Then he spent many hours scattering

them on the clean, fertile soil of the farm, along with a lot of trash and

stones he had collected. To his dismay, the very next morning the

owner informed him that plans for his son's wedding had fallen

through, and therefore he would be happy to renew the lease. He

couldn’t understand why the farmer exclaimed in agonizing tones,

“Oh, Lord, what a fool I’ve been!" The lesson is clear: Whatever we

sow, we will eventually reap.

What a tragedy it is for a person who has been redeemed by Christ's

blood from an eternity in Hell to waste his or her life sowing to flesh

instead of sowing to the Spirit! Many times we play the role of the fool

by living our lives in the pursuits of the flesh and the pleasures of life

instead of living our lives for the one who gave Himself for us. 2

Corinthians 5:14-15 tells us, "For the love of Christ constraineth us

because we thus judge, that if one died for all then were all dead: And

that he died for all that they which five should not live unto themselves,

but unto him which died for them, and rose again." Because of our

blessed redemption by the blood of the Lamb we should live our lives

sowing to the Spirit and not to the flesh. But many times we are like

that tenant farmer we sow the most pesky and noxious seeds in our

lives along with a lot of trash and stones and we reach the end of our

lives and say, "Oh, LORD, what a fool I've been!" How many

Christians use their time and money on things fleshly and they

wonder why they never grow in grace or reap spiritual fruits! It takes

faith and patience to sow to the Spirit, but God promises the harvest

in due season. Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not be weary in well

doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not". It takes time to

grow a spiritual harvest. We must be faithful sowers in our activities.

Sadly, too many of God's people reap a harvest of shame instead of a

harvest of rejoicing because they sow to the flesh instead of sowing to

the Spirit. I would like to speak this morning on a HARVEST OF

SHAME

THERE IS A HARVEST OF SHAME:

(1) WHEN WE FAIL TO GIVE GOD THE PRAISE

LUKE 12:16-19—“And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground

of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within

himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to

bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my

barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and

my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods

laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.”

A. THE FOLLY OF PRIDE. I want you to consider that focus of the man in

Jesus’ parable was all upon himself:

Ø “…he thought within himself..”.

Ø “What shall I do?”

Ø “This will I do…”.

Ø “I will say…”.

The man failed to ask himself:

Ø Who provided the bountiful harvest?

Ø Who should be praised for the bountiful harvest?

Folks, all of us are guilty from time to time of thinking somehow we helped God out. We accomplished something apart from His enabling. We caused things to happen apart from his power and wisdom. That’s how pride operates. You hear people say, “Look what I have done!” “Look what I

accomplished!” Pastors are guilty of saying, “Since I have been at so and so we have gained x amount of new members.” Friends, everything we have, everything we accomplish, and every goal we meet is all because of the grace of Almighty God! HE IS DUE ALL THE PRAISE! NOT US! The psalmist said it well in Psalm 115:1—“Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.”

B. THE FOCUS OF PRAISE. The psalmist said, “I will BLESS THE LORD at all

times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her

boast in the LORD: the humble hear thereof and be glad. O magnify the LORD

with me, and let us exalt Hit name together." (Psalm 34:1-3) How often do

we fail to give the LORD the glory and praise due His holy name? The

psalmist said we should "BLESS THE LORD AT ALL 7'MES.."

The word BLESS the psalmist used means in the Hebrew “to kneel before,

adore, praise, salute and thank." This means that the proper attitude of a

born-again, blood-bought, redeemed child of God should be humility and

praise for the blessings he has received from God!

ILLUS: I believe that if we are to be and to do for others what God means

us to be and to do, we must not let adoration and worship slip into

second place, "For it is the central service asked by God of human

souls; and its neglect is responsible for much lack of spiritual

depth and power.

Perhaps we may find here the reason why we so often run dry. We

do not give time enough to what makes for depth, and so we are

shallow; a wind, quite a little wind, can ruffle our surface; a little

hot sun, and all the moisture in us evaporates. It should not be so.

Christianity Today, Inc./CHRISTIANITY TODAY Magazine

Friends, someone has said, “The unmistakable mark of a living faith is a

readiness to praise."-Howard H. Jones (Albert M. Wells, Jr. Inspiring

Quotations-Contemporary & Classical. p. 158).

ILLUS: Charles Spurgeon said, "Prayer is the stalk of wheat, but praise is

the ear of the wheat. It is the harvest itself. When God is praised,

we have come to the ultimatum. This is the thing for which all

other things are designed....Praise is the rehearsal of our eternal

song. By Grace we learn to sing, and in glory we continue to sing.

What will some of you do when you get to Heaven, if you go on

grumbling all the way? Do not hope to get to heaven in that style.

But now begin to bless the name of the LORD." (Charles H.

Spurgeon. 2200 Quotations From The Writings of Charles H.

Spurgeon. p. 141).

ILLUS: When Albert Thorwaldsen had completed his famous statute of

Christ, he invited a friend to see it. The Danish sculptor had

created a portrayal of Christ with His arms outstretched and His

head bowed between them. The friend said "I can't see His face."

Thorwaldsen replied, "If you want to see the face of Christ, you

must get on your knees." Only when we worship Christ as servants

on bended knee can see Him clearly. (Raymond McHenry. The Best

of In Other Words. p. 276).

We can expect a harvest of shame WHEN FAIL TO GIVE GOD THE PRAISE for His goodness and grace! But also…

(2) WHEN WE FAIL TO SHARE OUR BLESSINGS

LUKE 12:17—“And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do,

because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?”

A. THE REALITY OF SELFISHNESS. This man in Jesus' parable had a great

harvest but instead of thinking of others, he thought only of himself. “And

he thought within himself saying, What shall I do, because I have no room

where to bestow MY FRUITS?" (v17). His attitude was that he would have

an easy life because he had everything he could possibly want or need.

And it was all his! He wasn't going to share it with anyone! What was this

man's problem?: SELFISHNESS! He thought only of himself and his own

needs!

ILLUS: A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5, Ryan, 3.

The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake.

Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. "If Jesus

were sitting here, he would say, 'Let my brother have the first

pancake. I can wait."'

Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be

Jesus!"

We are certainly living in a selfish society. Paul told Timothy it would be

that way in 2 Timothy 4:2, "For men shall be lovers of their ownselves...".

In the Greek the phrase "lovers of their ownselves" is one word. It means

"One who loves his life so much that he seeks ignobly to save it." What a

graphic description of the man in Jesus' parable.

B. THE REMORSE OF SELFISHNESS. Listen to the remorse in the man’s

words: “…I have no room where to bestow my fruits…”. The man is anxious,

sad, and remorseful. He’s remorseful because he has no room to bestow

MY FRUITS, he declares. His thoughts are on himself and himself alone.

A Christian who is selfish is not spiritually mature. The babe in Christ is

selfish. Only thinking of himself and his own wants and needs. Have you

heard of the Toddler's law of property?

ILLUS: The Toddler Property Laws:

1. If I like it, it's mine.

2. If it's in my hand, it's mine.

3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.

4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.

5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.

6. If I'm doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.

7. If it looks just like mine, it's mine.

8. If I think it's mine, it's mine.

9. If it's yours and I steal it, it’s mine.

10. If I…

Friends, Wealth does not necessarily solve problems. Look at the problems

it caused for this farmer. It is not a sin to be wealthy, but it is a sin to

make wealth your god. Wealth can make us generous or selfish, depending

on what is in our hearts. When we substitute things for life, we stop living

by faith and trusting God. All of nature trusts God to meet their needs, and

so should we. (Warren W. Wiersbe. Wiersbe’s Expository Outllines On The

New Testament. p. 177).

we can expect a harvest of shame WHEN WE FAIL TO GIVE GOD THE PRAISE, WHEN WE FAIL TO SHARE OUR BLESSING and thirdly…

(3) WHEN WE CONFUSE SELF WITH SOUL

LUKE 12:19-20—“And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods

laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?"

This man was more concerned with this life than with the life to come. More concerned with the material than the spiritual. More concerned with time than eternity. Because of this God says, "THOU FOOL…". When he died that night his goods would do nothing for him. They would simply pass on to someone else. The harvest of plenty only resulted in shame. The man failed to realize two things:

A. THE VALUE OF THE SOUL (Mark 8:36-37). How valuable is our soul?

How great is its worth? God considered the soul of man so valuable that

He suffered the death of His Son to redeem the souls of man. Isaiah 53:5-

11 tells us—“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised

for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his

stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned

every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us

all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth:

he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers

is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from