Harvest Time

Woman at the Well p3 (Jn. 4:27-45)

Help Wanted: Harvest Time

Oct 16, 2022

REVIEW

-Worship in Spirit and Truth

BIG IDEA: A Sense of Urgency. Harvest has begun. Work while you can.

READ

John 4:27-45

ICEBREAKERS

-Do you have any awkward moments you can share?

v.27 Awkward Moments

Going for the high 5 but they went for the handshake.

You say that’s a great plan and then realize it was your idea.

You say good bye to each other and then realize you’ve parked beside each other.

You seem to always get the loudest nacho chips at a restaurant.

Sent a text to the wrong person...it happens to the best of us.

And as is often the case with an awkward moment you just move on as if nothing happened. That's what happens here.

28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, come and see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?

The Samaritan women has a sense of urgency and Jesus seeks to instill this same urgency into His disciples.

31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”

(An example of the Hypostatic union: He experiences hunger, he sleeps, etc.)

They've just made a special trip to the grocery store and Jesus seems disinterested in their food.

Jesus gives an odd response.

32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?”

Food & Water. Whereas the woman was concerned about water, the disciples are concerned about food. Jesus has told the Samaritan woman that He has living water and now He’s told the disciples that He has His own food source.

The disciples are understandably confused; Jesus is going to use this as a teaching opportunity.

1-Harvest Time has Begun v.34

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.”

Q: What is God’s will?

A: The Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost (Lk. 19:10)

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 KJV) / Context=withholding His return so that as many as possible will be saved.

2-We need to work with a sense of urgency

35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.

-Farming illustration.

-White (light brown) = ready for harvesting now. A ripe grainfield looks white from a distance -There’s a window of opportunity for reaping. (barley)

-What happens to unharvested fruit? It rots.

-Most foods have to be harvested within a time frame or they’re lost.

-Pecans Late Nov-Jan.

-Citrus: Nov-Feb

What do you think Jesus wanted His disciples to understand?

It’s Harvest Time.

The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. (Mt. 13:39-41)

36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life 4:36a

Then He said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Mt. 9:37-38). But you’re not alone in this.

3-We need to work together in this mission (37-38)

37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

-don’t be discouraged if you do not see immediate results. Keep sowing.

Reap for that which you did not labor.

Illus: “no one has ever told me before.” I was once sharing the gospel with a youth and wrapped up by asking Him if he'd ever thought about receiving Jesus as his savior. He responded by saying, Yes, I've always wondered how you did that!" After picking my jaw up off the floor I proceeded to lead him to Christ. I was blessed with being the one who got to reap, but others before me had already sowed the word into his heart. A VBS teacher had watered that seed.

“Others have labored and now you have entered into their labor” Someone has already planted the gospel seeds and God can use you to water and fertilize it.