HARVEST TIME PART 1: DR. MENSAH OTABIL – SUNDAY SERVICE, 14TH MARCH, 2021
SUNDAY SERVICE BY DR. MENSAH OTABIL (GENERAL OVERSEER INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC) ACCRA, GHANA)
TOPIC: HARVEST TIME – PART 1.
DATE: 14TH MARCH, 2021
TEXT: GENESIS 8:22
Amen! Let’s rise up together, as we make our DECLARATION OF FRUITFULNESS in this Year of Fruitfulness:
Are you ready? Say with me:
The Eternal God is our refuge. He opens Rivers in desolate Heights.The Lord makes the wilderness a Pool of water.
The LORD God is my Sun and Shield; The LORD gives Grace and Glory.
Therefore, I delight myself in Him. Those who are Planted in the House of the LORD shall be fresh and flourishing.
Though the Earth be shaken; the Name of the Lord is my Strong Tower. By Faith I affirm that: In Christ alone is my Salvation. In Him I live, And move And have my being.
It is written: The Righteous are like trees Planted by the waters; bearing fruits in its Season.
So I boldly declare: As for me, my God has made me EXCEEDINGLY FRUITFUL.
In this Season, my Spirit bears Fruits of Righteousness, my Talents make Way for me. With my hands, I will Plant, I will Build, I will Harvest – Day by day, Step by step.
In Jesus’ Name – Amen!
Well, we have talked about “SEED TIME”, and we have talked about “WAITING TIME”.
DMC NOTES: You can get access to the Full Text of the two (2) Previous Topics on our Website: www.discoverymediacrew.com
And today, I’m talking about HARVEST TIME – PART 1 because I will cover the subject of “HARVEST TIME” in two (2) Parts.
… I will start today and then I will conclude Next Week (God’s Willing).
So let’s get to our Foundational Text in Genesis 8:22 (NKJV). And it reads:
“While the Earth remains, Seedtime and Harvest, Cold and Heat, Winter and Summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
There is “SEEDTIME” (the Passage says) and there is “HARVEST”. But, we also considered that HARVEST does not immediately follow SEEDTIME.
That after the Seedtime, there is a time (though not spoken of in the Passage): There is a “WAITING TIME” before the Harvest.
And if you miss the “WAITING TIME”, the Harvest may not be alright for you!
… But today, we will focus on the HARVEST.
SO, WHAT IS A HARVEST?
What does that mean when we say it is Time for you to HARVEST?
Remember it’s the Agriculturally Terms which has other Applications – Spiritual Application as well.
WHAT IS A HARVEST?
… A Harvest is:
- The result or outcome of an Action or Effort.
And this is related to the effort of Sowing Seed and the result or outcome that comes from the action.
- A Harvest is the Season when Ripened Crops are gathered.
This is related to Timing; there is always a Timing, regarding Harvest.
Harvest Time does not just occur at anytime; there is a time for it!
- A Harvest is the Process of gathering Crops.
This is related to activities we undertake in a time.of Harvest.
Now, if you look at the three (3) Definitions, there are three (3) words that I want you to pay attention to:
- RESULT
- SEASON, and
- PROCESS.
So a Harvest is a RESULT, a Harvest is a SEASON and a Harvest is a PROCESS.
And for today, I will focus on RESULT and SEASON.
… And Next Week I will focus on the Harvest as PROCESS.
But today, we will look at the Harvest as a RESULT and a SEASON.
We have already considered Galatians 6:7-8, that says:
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”
A Harvest can be a Prize for something Good we have done ( a Reward); or it can be a Retribution.
… It can be a Punishment for a wrong action.
So, depending on what you sowed, your Harvest may be Good or it may not be Good!
God, sometimes gives us a Harvest for things we have not done or Seeds we have not sown.
In other words, you can reap a Harvest that is not a result of your own seed;
I. It could be the result of a Previous Generation Seeds, efforts they made that benefits you!
II. It could be Prayers your Parents made, Investments your Parents made, or other People have made that Benefits you!
Sometimes you enter an “Easy Harvest Field”, because those ahead of you Ploughed it for it!
And then sometimes you enter a “Hard Field”, because those ahead of you, left it Fallow.
So, what People do for others or ahead of others would determine whether the Field they were Ploughing in is a Tough one or an Easy one!
So, the Field you are Sowing in today may be a Hard and a Dry Field and that will affect the Harvest that you have.
… And you will get it a bit better, as we go on!
Luke 10:2, Jesus speak to them and the Bible says: “The Harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore Pray the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into His Harvest.”
I always like to stay with a Context and explain it. Because I am going to apply this in a different way.
In this Context of this Passage, Jesus is applying the Principle of Harvest to Soul Winning.
Because the Principle of Harvest, as I have said over and over again; is an Agricultural Principle. But it applies to different aspects of our lives.
And Jesus is applying it to Winning Souls; I am applying it to getting Results in your life.
… I hope you understand that
So, the Principle is the same, Application is different!
Jesus says: “The Harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore Pray the LORD of the Harvest to send out laborers into His Harvest.”
I want you to note the Phrase: “THE LORD OF THE HARVEST”.
So, God is THE LORD OF THE HARVEST. He Superintense over the Process of the Harvest.
When I sow a Seed: whether it’s a Financial Seed or an Action I have taken, or Investment I have made; or whatever Process I start the Seed level to Produce a Harvest;
There is One Who rules the Harvest. And that is the LORD – “THE LORD OF THE HARVEST”.
… God is “THE LORD OF THE HARVEST.”
Now, if God is “THE LORD OF THE HARVEST”; WHAT DOES HE DO AS “THE LORD OF THE HARVEST?”
I will give you three (3) Things that God does as “THE LORD OF THE HARVEST?”
- He determines the size of the Harvest.
… This is so critical.
In 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, Apostle Paul speaking he says:
“I Planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
So, then neither he who Plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.”
… GOD IS THE ONE WHO GIVES THE INCREASE.
The word ‘INCREASE’ in this Context means, the extent of Growth.
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus indicated that a Harvest can be thirty (30) folds, sixty (60) folds or hundred (100) folds.
Not all Harvest are the same! – We don’t get the same outcomes from the Lord.
So, we can all sow, but the Lord of the Harvest, determines the size of the Harvest.
Just like in the Parable of the Talent; the Lord determines who gets one (1) Talent, Two (2) Talents, Five (5) Talents!
God blesses each one of us; our Fields and our Harvest are not the same.
God blesses all of us; but the Size of our blessing is not all the same.
The Lord of the Harvest determines the size of the Harvest.
That is why, if you go comparing what God has blessed you with, with another Person; you vexed your Soul.
Because, although we put in all efforts, the Lord of the Harvest determines the Harvest!
Let’s say my effort is 2 Kilograms of efforts. And you also put in 2 Kilograms of efforts. It doesn’t mean we will all get a Harvest of 20 Kilograms.
The Lord of the Harvest may determine: I get 5 Kilograms of Harvest, and you get a 100 Kilograms of Harvest!
WHY? Because He is the LORD of the Harvest!
It is not so much of your Seed alone, but there is One Who determines the Outcome.
So He determines the Size of the Harvest!
- He appoints the Times of the Harvest.
Jeremiah 5:23-24; But these People has a defiant and rebellious heart; They have revolted and departed.
… Forget about that – You haven’t revolted and departed!
They do not say in their heart, “Let us now fear the Lord our God, Who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its Season. He reserves for us the Appointed Weeks of the Harvest.”
….God reserves for us the Appointed Weeks of the Harvest.
In the Harvest, God appoints the Season of Harvest!
Let’s say for us, the Season of Harvest (just for the Purposes of illustration) is June and August. That’s the Season.
… But God appoints the Weeks.
Whether my Harvest comes First Week, Second Week, Third Week, Fourth Week, Fifth Week!
So, not only does He determines the Size of the Harvest; He detemines the Weeks of the Harvest.
Some People’s Harvest come earlier than other People; and the Size differs.
- The Lord of the Harvest Prepares People for the Harvest.
He is the One Who sends People to the Harvest Field. He gets us ready to Harvest what He has Prepared for us.
When the Lord ready the Harvest for me, He will already ready me for the Harvest.
When God sends me.to my Harvest – and it is mine; you cannot take it from me!
“My Harvest is my Harvest, your Harvest is your Harvest; you cannot take my Harvest.”
When God Prepares and sends me to the Field; He equips me for a Particular Harvest and I receive it!
And you may find People competing with you in your Harvest Field; but Harvest Field that has been Prepared for you is yours!
They may fight you, they may resist you, they may contend with you, they may undermine you;
But the Harvest Field has been Appointed by the Weeks (by the Lord of the Harvest), to your Credit and it is yours.
And that is why you don’t get scared because People are fighting over you, over something that God has given to you!
Because, God is the Lord of the Harvest: He Appoints the Size of the Harvest, the Weeks of the Harvest and the Labourers of the Harvest.
And if it is my Field, and He Appoints me the Labourer for that Field; you can go to Hell and back, you can talk to everybody you know in the Universe; and the Harvest is still mine.
WHY? Because there is the LORD OF THE HARVEST!
And He has Appointed me as a Labourer on this Harvest Field; and you can’t take it from me!
When God gets a Harvest ready, He also gets a People ready for the Harvest.
In Matthew 13, Jesus indicated in a Parable – The Parable that we normally call ‘The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares’ – Matthew 13:24 downwards.
Jesus told a Parable, and the essence of the Parable is to indicate that a Harvest Field can be mixed.
Because a man sowed Wheat in his Field; and an enemy sowed Tares in his Field and created confusion in the Harvest Field.
In Matthew 13:30, this is what the Lord of the Harvest says:
Let both grow together until the Harvest, and at the time of Harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
This is so important (I don’t want you to miss is): In your Harvest Field, the enemy can misdirect a Harvest.
You say, ‘Pastor, what do you mean by that?’ Sometimes as we wait for the Lord to give us what we have desired of Him:
The enemy can Present something that looks like a Miracle.
It looks like – This is what I have been Praying for. It may be a Business Opportunity, a Career Opportunity, a Relationship Opportunity.
It looks like it, but it is Tares!
And if you don’t have the Patience to wait, you are going to Harvest something that is not your Harvest!
*And each one of us have had those experiences: We thought the Lord has given us something. We took it, we even Testified about it!
And realised the thing was just misery. It wasn’t from the Lord! – It wasn’t Wheat, it was Tares.
So you have to be very careful; in every Harvest Field, we require Discernment.
Not everything that looks like your Miracle is a Miracle.
… It happens in every way!
You are Praying for a Business Opportunity and a door opens! And you rush into it and you realise, it didn’t lead to a Good Place; it led to a Bad Place!
You Prayed ‘Lord, give me a husband.’ “Something” shows up (Laugher) and you grabbed it!
‘Something’ shows up! It looks like the answer to your Prayer, but it is not.
Because the enemy can confuse your Field of Harvest!
HOW DO YOU KNOW THE ENEMY IS CONFUSING YOU?
Anything that puts a Spirit of “HASTE” in you; that doesn’t allow you to Pray about and Wait – BE CAREFUL OF IT!
Because the Spirit of the Believer is not a ‘Hasty Spirit.’
“He that Believes in the Lord shall not make Haste” – Isaiah 28:16
Any opportunity that opens and says: “Hey, if you don’t take it right now, you will miss it forever!” – BE CAREFUL, CAREFUL, CARFUL! It may be Tares! And you will Harvest something that will hurt you.
People have Testified of Miracles that were not Miracles; People have Testified of Breakthroughs that were not Breakthroughs; People have Testified of God’s Favour, and it wasn’t God’s Favour – It was all Tares in their Harvest Field.
And the reason why they couldn’t discern is because they had a “Hasty Spirit”.
The Lord of the Harvest told the Labourers – Wait! Because the true nature would show very soon.
… Wait! Because the true nature would show very soon.
Then you can separate the tares from your true Harvest.
When God blesses you with something, He doesn’t give you Hastiness about it.
It doesn’t mean: Be slow or don’t be quick; but anything that makes you feel like you have to do some Extra Quick to get something; otherwise it would not be there!
Be careful about it! It will Pierce you with sorrows and hurt you so bad because it looks like wheat, it is Tares.
It takes Patience, Discernment and Waiting on the Lord to see the Right Harvest.
STAGES OF A HARVEST.
A Harvest goes through severally Stages – four (4) of them:
So let’s say, you are a Christian, you have been Sowing Seed, you have been Giving, you are Tithing Faithfully, you are Giving your Offering, you are Praying, you are Fasting.
Those are all Seeds you are Sowing.
You are Sowing Seeds of Prayer, Seeds of Fasting, Financial Seeds. You are Serving in the House of the Lord. You are being kind to People!
Those are all Seeds! All of these Good Things you are doing. And then you are Waiting because God says He will Reward you. And, He starts Rewarding you.
There are four (4) Stages of the Reward that we are going to discuss today.
And it’s based on a Parable Jesus told. And the conclusion of the Parable is in Mark 4:28-29.
You have worked hard, you are intelligent and what you have worked for is begining to show results.
Previously, He talked about a man who had sown in his Field. And this one is talking about how the Harvest starts.
Mark 4:28-29; “For the Earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the Harvest has come.”
So here is a Person who has sown in his Field; there is a blade, there is the head, there is the full grain in the head and there is the ripened grain.
But I want you to note at what Point He says: ‘The Harvest has come!’
… He doesn’t say it at the beginning; He says it at the end!
So let’s Walk through the four (4) Stages:
- First (1st) is the Blade.
The Blade is a Sign of Possibility.
What does the Bus mean by the Blade?
… Definitely, it doesn’t mean the Blade that we cut with.
The Blade is the blade of Grass. Anyone who has sown corn can easily Understand this!
As a kid, and as most children of my age at that time, I had a Corn Farm.’ You sow the corn of two (2) grains into the ground.
And normally, after three (3) days, the Blade shows up. The Blade – That’s the first indication that your Seed is working. Your effort is Producing Result.
But it’s a Blade. It’s not a Harvest.
And when you see the Blade, it just tells you – ‘Your effort is working.’ And there is a Possibility, it will be Successful.
You Rejoice to see the Blade, but you don’t Harvest the Blade.
Neither do you go round, bragging to everyone about the great things God is doing in your life if all you are seeing is a Blade.
Because there are People who share ‘Premature Testimonies.’
They only saw a Blade and rejoiced: Oh, God has done it.
It’s a Blade!
And if you don’t manage that Process well, you can introduce enemies to consume your Blade.
Rejoice in your heart! But Wait because God is not finished with you yet.
The Blade is simply an indication that what God gives you is going to work!
… Just to illustrate it a little further:
It’s like in a Marriage Relationship. It’s like when a Gentleman tells a Lady: “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met.” You are the sugar in my tea! You are the butter for my bread.
Or Vice Versa – tohe Lady tells the man (though it doesn’t happen often)!
But Ladies, Gentlemen; when somebody tells you that, it’s a Blade; it’s not a Marriage!
The Harvest has not come! Don’t go Singing: “THE THING I DIDN’T EXPECT HAS HAPPENED.” – NO! Don’t go telling everybody ‘Oh, God has done it!’
…. He will do it! But it is a Blade.
Don’t Testify Prematurely when God has not completed The Process.
So that’s the first level – The Blade.
You go out there, you put your Contract out. Somebody gives you a Promise; and say: “Oh, young man I’m going to help you. Young Lady, this Contract will go through.” It’s a Blade!
- Second (2nd) Stage: “THE HEAD”.
The Head represents Structure without Substance.
It’s better than the Blade – It has Structure.
If you have grown corn before, you can understand this – It’s when the cornhead had grown on the side of the Plant.
It has Nice Golden hair coming out of it – Like a blonde Person! It looks beautiful. Sometimes it looks bulky.
But, if you Harvest and open, it will be empty. There will be not even one grain on it. It’s just a head with hair and Nothing else.
So Jesus is saying: there is a Blade. Then you begin to see the thing growing and taking structure.
In a Marriage Relationship, it can be likened to the man saying: “I Love you!”
Now, he is not saying, you are sugar in Cocoa or Tea. But he says: ‘Oh, I love you with all my heart.
… It’s Good to hear that! But it’s not a Harvest.
And all of you who rush ahead to declare a Harvest; you know that sometimes you can be solely disappointed.
Because you may find that, that statement doesn’t have more deeper meaning to the Person as it is to you.
- Third (3) Stage: “THE FULL GRAIN in the Head”.
This is when the Blade had now become a Stock: it has Produced the Head. Now the Head has Substance – There is corn on it. It’s not just a Promise, it’s not just a Structure. It is Substance.
In a Marriage Relationship, it can be likened to an Engagement. It is very close, but it is not a Harvest.
- And then the Fourth (4th) Stage: “The RIPEN GRAIN”.
That is the Harvest that is ready! It is Growth that is Full, the Season is right.
But when the Grain ripens, immediately, it’s put in the sickle because the Harvest has come!
The “Blade” was not a Harvest; the “Head” was not a Harvest; the “Full Grain” of Corn on the Head was not a Harvest – They were all Processes leading to the Harvest.
It is only when the corn has ripened on the Head that Jesus says, He puts in the sickle.
WHY? – Because the Harvest has come.
When God starts to Bless yoi, we must allow the Blessing to Mature.
You don’t Harvest the Blade, You don’t Harvest the Head, You don’t even Harvest the Head with Corn on it – You Harvest at the right time, when the Process has completed.
WHAT DOES THIS TELL US?
I have tried to apply it to Marriage. But it applies to every other areas of our lives.
- If you are a Pastor, you go through that: The Blade, the Head, the Grain and the Ripe Harvest.
- If you are a Businessman – You go through that. You start Well, you make an Investment, you start working so hard and you see things beginning to Flourish.
It’s not your Harvest – You have to Protect the Blade. You have to keep the wild birds away from the Blade.
And you work Hard; that is not the time to start living Good. When you get the Head, that is not the time go flex! When you see Substance, that is not the time to flex.
There will come a time to flex! There will come a time for you to shout. But you don’t shout ahead of Time!
Because one of the things People do when God starts blessing them; they attract enemies they can’t fight.
And sometimes you Testify to People who would destroy you! You open your secret to People who have no interest in your Harvest.
… Because you have no idea who wants to steal your Harvest.
You Testify ahead of Time, they will steal the Field from you.
So you Wait till the Harvest is ready, and God says ‘Now, take it!’ – And at that time, no one can Stop you.
The Field is Ready, He has sent Labourers to the Field. You can’t stop that!
… But before that, you can be Stopped.
So, where are you in your Harvest Season?
- Are you at your Blade Level?
- Are you at the Head Level?
- Are you at the Full Grain Level?
- Are you at the Full Mature Stage Level?
Next Week, I’m going to talk about: “HOW TO HARVEST WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN TO YOU.”
Let us Pray!
CLOSING PRAYER
Father we Thank You that You are the Lord of the Harvest.
For every areas of our life, there is a Process and You watch over the Harvest.
You determine the Size of our Harvest; You determine the Size of our Blessing.
You determine Lord, the Weeks of our Harvest.
You also determine the Stages – You give us Wisdom, not to Harvest Tares with Wheat.
May you grant Oh God, every child of Yours, that has served You Faithfully, whose heart is right towards You; never to miss the Harvest Time; never to Harvest Tares instead of Wheat; never to Harvest a Blade, instead of the Ripe Grain.
And grant us Oh God, a Patient Spirit; not
A “Hasty Heart”; that we can Wait until the Harvest has fully come.
So that we can put in the sickle to reap that which You have Prepared for us.
In Jesus’ Name we Pray – Amen!
God Bless you!
Thank you so much for staying all through to read.
To read other Messages on the Coverage of DMC MediaCrew so far this Year and beyond; kindly visit our Website: http://discoverymediacrew.com.
Follow us on Twitter: @discoverymediac
Send a Friend Request on Facebook to DMC MediaCrew.
Like our FB Page: Discovery Media
Join us on WhatsApp:
Join us on Telegram: https://t.me/joinchat/NzzPckuGazKYFxZZFkt9fg
Follow Us on Instagram: Discoverymediacrew
Watch and Follow Us on YouTube: Discovery Media Crew
For Enquiries, email Us on: info@discoverymediacrew.com
And I can assure you that you will be glad you did as it will avail you first hand access to comprehensive reports on the various Messages of Pastor E.A Adeboye and other Men of God!
It is outrightly wrong and a sin we frowned at it for anyone to consciously remove the original source of the work that does not emanate for him or her!
Discovery Media Crew … Reaching out to the World through the Power of the Gospel!!!
COMPILATIONS BY:
MOSES DURODOLA, TITILAYOMI AJAYI AND TOPE BABALOLA
© DISCOVERY MEDIA CREW (DMC) 2021
Recent Comments