TITLE: Understanding the Harvest
TEXT: Matthew 9:35-38
THEME: KEYS TO AN ABUNDANT HARVEST
P.S.
INTRODUCTION:
“My name is Ralph, and I am NOT a Farmer.” This was brought so clearly home, while pastoring my first church, in Gracefield Quebec. My congregation was made up of dairy and beef farmers, who had been farming the land for 5 generations or more.
( A little background is in order. Up till then I had lived my entire life in the city of Toronto. The closest I had been to a farm was watching Green Acres on TV. I actually believed that milk came from IGA.)
So with my vast array of agricultural knowledge, I thought I would impress my new congregation by preaching a sermon on the soils. I proceeded to use an illustration, to compare the seed farmers’ plant in the ground with the seed of the word that God plants in our hearts.
All worked well, until I opened my mouth and said, “When you farmers plant your hay…” Well, my feet could not have entered my mouth fast enough. That was the end of that message. When I realized my huge mistake, I abruptly ended my message, concluded the service and proceeded to leave the platform in abject embarrassment.
One of the farmer’s wives tried to encourage me by saying, “That’s OK, Pastor sometimes we have to plant the hay.”
Fall is the season of the year that is devoted to HARVEST. Following months of hard work, planting and sowing seed, the time comes when every farmer looks to gather in a return for his labors.
Like the farmer who works hard for his harvest, you and I can also expect to reap a harvest if we are faithful to our task. The harvest is inevitable. However, the fruits of the harvest will only be known once the proper keys are applied to unleash it.
How can I know it is harvest time? What kind of seed is necessary? How long will I have to wait? Can I be really certain that I will reap a harvest?
Yes you can be certain of a harvest. The keys to unlocking the secrets of the harvest are;
Faithful SERVANTS sowing the Right SEED, Planted in rich SOIL, in the proper SEASON will inevitably result in an abundant harvest.
Over the next few weeks, we will consider the KEYS to Unlocking An Abundant Harvest. We will learn from the master, Jesus himself. This morning we will learn some basic PRINCIPLES of the Harvest.
Please turn with me in your Bibles and read with me from Mathews gospel, chapter 9:35-38. ( READ)
The word, harvest, comes from the Greek word, therismos (ther-is-mos’), which means (in verb form) ‘to reap…’ To gather… Collect… Bring in…! (In the noun form) it refers to ‘the crop…’ The produce… The product… The yield…The people… The sheep… The lost, hurting, unloved… As I have said, I don’t claim to be an agricultural major, but the last time I looked, harvesting was done OUTSIDE…! Harvesting is done in the fields…!
Let’s breakdown three key principles that we can learn and apply from this passage.
I. PEOPLE MATTER TO JESUS
“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” Matthew 9:35 (NIV)
It is clear that Jesus met people at the point of their need.
Jesus put who he was and what he was about into practical use in the life of people. In the story that Matthew paints in chapter 9, we see Jesus heal six different people of various issues. He heals a man who could not walk, a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years, a girl who had died, two blind men and a man who was demon possessed. Jesus touched these people in very real and practical ways.
Our society has very real needs. There are three areas of need that I believe the church is uniquely equipped to deal with in the lives of people. They are issues that we as a body must address in people’s lives in order to make an eternal and lasting difference.
People need connection.
Our society has lost the connectedness that once was the fabric of who we were.
It was this connectedness that characterized the early church.
42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer ( Acts 2:42)
Theirs was not a once a week social meeting. They met together, prayed together, played together, laufghed and cried together. They were a body connected , not by age, interest groups or money. Their connwctionflowed out of their relationship with Jesus.
7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.( 1 John 1:7)
We as the body of Christ need to provide a place for people to connect. We must be a safe harbor for people who are beat up by life. Today I want to challenge you to make a connection into the life of others.
In a recent seminar I attended, we discussed the differences between a large church and a small church. The biggest difference is how one relates . The large church relates on the basis of interests. The small church relates on the basis of relationships. In fact, the large church spends much of its time and energy, trying to build and establish relationships The strongest point of a small church, is that relationships are part of its DNA. The irony, is that so many small churches feel they need to emulate the large church in order to be successful. The fact is that we need to be concentrating on what we already possess as strength. That is why we want to enhance our ministry by providing opportunities to fellowship and build relationships.
People need truth.
We live in a society today that has for the most part has denied the existence of absolute truth. We live in a relative society. Our culture is shaped by people who claim a search for truth while often denying the existence of truth. The role of the church is to speak truth into the life of the culture. The fact of the gospel is, Jesus is the personification of truth,
6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.( John16:6)
Part of the problem is that we do not tend to speak the truth to the culture the way Christ calls us to. We often are shouting judgment and separation from our culture instead of speaking love and forgiveness into our culture. I am not talking about some all-inclusive, everyone gets a free pass gospel. I am talking about the real truth communicated in a loving way.
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6 (NIV)
We should be a voice that adds flavor and preservation into our culture.
Our society is misguided in truth. We must develop a Christian worldview that helps us to understand our culture, our society and the needs of people in the context of the life of Jesus.
People need hope.
I wonder how many people are like me and have turned off the news. Persnally, I can take only so much bad news about the economy, the war in Afghanistan, shootings in Toronto. We live in a society that is desperate for good news. People are frustrated, tired, and hopeless. It is the role of the church to bring hope into the lives of those who despair.
“A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.”
Psalm 33:17-18 (NIV)
ILLUSTRATION: The Devil was having a yard sale, and all of his tools were marked with different prices. They were a fiendish lot. There was hatred, jealously, deceit, lying, and pride--all at expensive prices. But over to the side of the yard on display was a tool more obviously worn than any of the other tools. It was also the most costly. The tool was labeled DISCOURAGEMENT. When questioned, the Devil said, "It’s more useful to me than any other tool. When I can’t bring down my victims with any of the rest of these tools, I use discouragement, because so few people realize that it belongs to me." Satan’s is never happier than when he sees people giving in and giving up to despair and becoming lost in hopelessness. Have you ever felt like your whole world is caving in around you and there is absolutely no hope. Your troubles seem to mount up insurmountably. Cheer up I have good news. There is hope for the hopeless!
Our society hopes in things to deliver. They are looking for answers in all kinds of places and find heartache instead of deliverance. We as the body of Christ hold the key to hope for today and for eternity. It is our job to communicate that hope to those who live such desperate lives.
10(and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. ( 1 Tim. 4:10)
Whether it is physical, emotional or spiritual, everyone in our community is looking for hope. We as the body of Christ must be prepared to be a resource for hope in the lives of those around us.
II. Jesus is moved by the need of people.
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36 (NIV)
Jesus had a deep sense of caring for the needs of the people. It moved him in the deepest areas of his heart to see people hurting and without direction. His compassion moved him at emotional levels.
As followers of Christ, we should have a compassionate heart for those who are hurting.
Jesus looks on a culture and sees people who are hurting and oppressed and it motivates him to action. Unfortunately we look at our culture that is hurting and harassed and we feel judgment and condemnation. We need to begin to see with the eyes of Jesus.
There are now 6.2 billion people in the world today. There are approximately 36 million people in Canada, 12 million in Ontario and 1500 in the town of Havelock. And Jesus sees each and every one. HE sees each boy and girl. Jesus knows every mom and dad; Each single mom; Every grey haired senior. Jesus sees each one and is moved with compassion toward them.
Our society has been captivated by the Father of lies. Satan has blinded the hearts of man so that they cannot discern truth.
“Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don’t understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”
2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT)
One of the reasons for the blindness of the human heart is the ineffectiveness of the church to engage the culture.
The church has long believed that people should listen to our message no matter what. However, we have not had compassion on the hurting in our community to the point to give them a reason to listen.
“We’re not making a difference outside our walls, and we haven’t done anything to gain the right to be heard.” Bishop Harry Jackson, Pastor Hope Christian Church Bowie, MD
People will listen to our message when we communicate compassion.
We as a church must engage our culture outside the church walls and off the church property. You must begin to be a part fo the community so that you can compassionately share the message of Jesus with those who are hurting.
We cannot influence our culture if we never engage our culture.
Jesus had ony one method in reaching people.: HE “WENT OUT” AFTER PEOPLE. He did not sit back and wait for people to come to him. LUKE 19:10 SAYS..... “The Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost."” (CEV)
When it was announced that the Ethanol plant was coming to Havelock, there was a buzz in the town. People were talking about growth and prosperity. One interesting comment I heard was from A Christian who said to me, “Won’t it be wonderful to see people move to Havelock and then they will come to church Pastor.”
Yes it will be wonderful to see our town grow and prosper. It has been long overdue. But let’s not deceive ourselves into the false assumption that just because our church has sat on this corner for 70 plus years that people naturally will come to us. Why would they?
The vast majority of people will not come. It is not because we are unfriendly. They do not know to come. Like Jesus, we need to go to them, in love amd with compassion.
12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Col. 3:12)
Will you be willing today to ask the Lord where you can become involved in your community in order to engage it and influence it for God?
III. JESUS CHALLENGED HIS FOLLOWERS
Jesus placed the role of the workers of the harvest directly on the shoulders of those who followed him closest. He gave them the burden for bringing in the harvest of peoples lives.
“Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-38 (NIV)
There are three things that Jesus pointed out to his followers that we must understand to make this a reality in our lives.
People are open to the message.
Jesus notes that the harvest is plentiful. In other words, there are plenty of opportunities to touch people with eh message of the gospel. From our reading, we learn that Jesus preached, taught and healed every person He encountered. He used many methods to touch people with His love. Likewise, we ought to use any and all methods at our disposal, in order to show people the love of God in Christ.
People have needs and they are looking for answers. Our job is to communicate the truth in a manner that will lead them to the good news.
God is the one who changes people.
Notice how he refers to God as the “Lord of the Harvest.” It is an indication for us that God is the one who does the eternal work. Our role is to simply be his spokespeople here in our culture.
We do not make people followers of God. That is his job. Our job is to communicate the message.
“You’re not in charge here. The Father who sent me is in charge. He draws people to me—that’s the only way you’ll ever come. Only then do I do my work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End.” John 6:44 (The Message)
We do not change the lives of people, God does.
Our role is to gather the harvest.
As followers of Christ, we must embrace our role as communicators of the eternal truth of God.
It is our job to gather together the lives of people that God has drawn to himself. Our job is to be the representative for Christ in our culture that would help those who are hurting and without hope to find healing through Jesus.
Paul asked people to pray for him so that he would be able to effectively communicate the gospel of Jesus.
“Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” Ephesians 6:19-20 (NIV)
Conclusion:
Do you remember the amazing rescue of the nine miners trapped in the Quecreek mine in Pennsylvania in July of 2002? They were trapped 240 feet beneath the surface for a total of 77 hours. I recall staying up into the early morning hours and watching on that final day as they were hauled out of the darkness to safety one-by-one. But the rescue was anything but easy. A drill bit broke in the rescue shaft they had started to drill. They couldn’t get the broken pieces out so after a new one was flown in they had to start another shaft. Communications was disrupted for a while and the miners themselves almost gave up and wrote notes to their loved ones. Their rescue was the result of a coordinated effort by hundreds.
It took people, working together day by day, moment by moment. No task, no person is insignificant. We all are part of the harvest.
This is what it means to go into the harvest field. The point is, when you see the need, and you feel the need, do not make an excuse to avoid the person, but use what you have to MEET THE NEED.
Did you notice that the scripture does not say: When he saw the crowds, he felt commitment towards them. Christ wasn’t just committed to the people. He had something far more compelling: He had compassion.
I can be committed to my wife for life...but if I don’t have love and compassion towards her, all I have is a contract. I can be committed to you as a pastor, but if I don’t care for and pray for you because I really do love you, all I have is a cold, administrative relationship with you.
We as a church must not just be committed to the people of this community, but we must be moved with compassion to get involved and meet needs.
Jesus envisioned a large crop of ripe grain that is waiting to be harvested for the kingdom. In John 4:35 Jesus says,
Do you not say, ’Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. (See John 4:35).
Will you make a commitment today to meet the needs of those who are hurting in our community? Will you commit to hurt for those that hurt as Jesus did? Will you commit to be a worker in the harvest that God has prepared in the hearts of man?
