Sermon: Prayer: The Key to Securing Kingdom Workers
Scripture: Matthew 9:35-38 “Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
Introduction: Help Wanted (I Need Indeed!) Indeed is an independent subsidiary of Japan's Recruit Co. Ltd. With headquarters in Austin, Texas, and Stamford, Connecticut, with additional offices around the world founded in November 2004. It boast itself to be the #1 job site in the world, with over 300M unique visitors every month. Indeed strives to put job seekers first, giving them free access to search for jobs, post resumes, and research companies. Every day, they connect millions of people to new opportunities. God does not use indeed. In God’s economic, Prayer is the key to securing additional workers for kingdom building.
Prayer is important because it helps us to stay close to God. When we pray, we are opening up our hearts to Him and He is able to work in us and through us. Prayer also helps us to grow in our relationship with God. The more we talk and spend time with someone the more we get to know them. The disciples were convinced of the importance of prayer in their lives, now Jesus teaches the disciples that the harvest is so great, additional workers are needed. Jesus saw crowds that were confused, helpless and without guidance, and the disciples are invited to pray for additional help.
Jesus spent many early hours in prayer. Rising a great while before day, Jesus spent time seek the Father for every need. Jesus understood the importance of prayer. Our God is almighty and unlimited in power and might. Yet He chooses to manifest his mighty in response to the prayers of His children. Our God is unlimited in knowledge and understanding. He knows what we need even before we ask for it. He knows every thought before we think it and every word before we speak it. Yet we are invited to boldly to the throne of grace that we may find help in the time of need. We are encouraged to cast our cares on the Lord and make our petitions known unto Him. Prayer allows us to participate in bringing God’s will to pass in this present world.
After experiencing the ministry of Jesus, the disciples were so moved they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. Prayer is so important that Jesus not only teaches them to pray, He gives them a model prayer:
Matthew 6:5-13 5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. 7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today the food we need,12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.13 And don’t let us yield to temptation but rescue us from the evil one.”
There is a temptation to feel helpless when we see so much confusion, hopelessness and pain around us. Many think, what can prayer do? There is temptation to pray to impress men or be heard by them. There is a temptation to use vain repetition to force the action, but Jesus warns against that type of praying. When you really want to be heard and receive a reward from God, spent time praying in secret and your heavenly Father will reward you openly. Just as Jesus was moved by the conditions around him, God is moved by the endless sin, corruption and trouble in the world today. Believers are invited to pray because God is our heavenly Father, who is seated in a perfect position, seeing all, knowing all and will respond to our sincere prayers. Spend time praying for the kingdom of God to come on earth as it is in Heaven. Pray that His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. God knows we have daily needs for food, clothes and shelter. He knows we need guidance and deliverance. We need help with our repentance and forgiveness. God will hear and answer our prayer as we commit all these to Him. Don’t worry about anything; pray about everything.
In our lesson, Jesus has been preaching and teaching throughout the whole region. Jesus visited noy only great cities with wealth, bur poor, obscure villages with poverty, lack and violence on every hand. He preached the kingdom of God, healing and delivering many from bondage. Jesus saw all souls as valuable to God. There were priests, Levites and scribes all around, but they saw no value in the poor, needy, sick and tormented. They overlooked the violence, abuse and suffering. Jesus was moved with compassion, seeing the people as confused, lost and scattered like sheep without a shepherd. Still today, many are confused, lost, and tossed by life without direction. Many seeing the gun violence, economic challenges, mental health challenges and relentless storms and pandemics are almost overwhelmed. The needy, broken, lost crowds, Jesus saw as a massive harvest field in need of laborers. He invites the disciples and us to pray that the Lord of Harvest would send forth Laborers into the Harvest field. We have a lot of inspectors, instigators, and prognosticators but few laborers. There is a remedy for a confused, broken world. There is good news in this bad news world. When God commissions laborers to go into the harvest in response to prayer, things are likely to change. What kind of laborers do we need?
1. Laborers who called to Share the Good News of the Kingdom. Jesus preached the kingdom of God is here. The rule and reign in the hearts of men is available to all who believe. The Jews have been waiting for the Messiah and His message. Jesus preached God wants to be actively in every life and situation bringing healing for every disease and deliverance from every bondage. The Pharisees, scribes and rulers added additional burdens, neglected the sheep and fed themselves at the expense of the sheep. They protected the temple, taught the law, added many precepts, but they neglected the people.
Ezekiel 34:3-6 “You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. 4 You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. 5 So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal. 6 They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them.”
Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost. Every lost, confused, hurting and disheartened person can be assured that Jesus is searching for you with the Good News of the kingdom. He gets us! Others may have scattered, neglected, misused or even abused you, but Jesus is tenderly calling you to come home. He will use a believer, a true laborer who is concerned about people and will brings the good news of Salvation by Faith in Jesus Christ.
2. Laborers who are Moved with Compassion. Jesus was moved with compassion. He saw value in the confused, the scattered and the lost. Jesus saw what they could be, not what they were. They were a valuable harvest created in the image and likeness of God. They had great potential, but they lacked direction. They have some real problems with low self-esteem, lack of knowledge and void of hope. They had been neglected and deserted. Jesus was touching many but there were so many more. Jesus needed additional workers who know how to deal with people with problems. Workers who can bring comfort and direction, who can show them how to live. Workers who experienced God’s help with their problems and have become an overcomer who can help other overcome. It takes workers with compassion.
3. Laborers Who are Clear About the Mission. “37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.”
The mission is to gather the harvest. With any harvest time is limited. There is a limited time for cultivating the soil, planting the seed, fertilizing the plants, keeping the bugs away, all for the potential harvest. When the crop in produced, there is limit time to gather the fruit. You see it is not about being busy, it all about the harvest. The pharisees and scribes were satisfied with religious rituals, good programming, fine music, decorated robes and wonderful feasts, but those things mean little without caring for the people. The Church may have a lot of boards and clubs, choirs, and dancers, but these things mean little if the harvest is lost. Jesus said, the harvest was endanger because of the lack of faithful laborers. Laborers who proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom, who are moved with compassion and who are clear about the mission. So Jesus provides the only solution.
4. Laborers Who Will Pray for Lord of the Harvest to Send more Workers. “38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
Jesus saw crowds as a ripe harvest field before approaching storm. There were too few laborers and with the harvest so great, additional help was needed. Notice Jesus did not go find some laborers or higher some workers, He said pray to the Lord of the Harvest and He will send forth Laborers. He knows how to select the right laborer for the right assignment, besides. it is His field. Pray because some people are ready for a change. They are frustrated with life. They have tried many things, and nothing brought lasting satisfaction. They even considered trying God, but they don’t know how and no one has been concern enough to tell them. Jesus invited us to pray for laborers that might be more successful in reaching this generation. Often, when we pray for something, God answers our prayer by use us. Be prepared for God to use you to be someone’s answered prayer, someone’s miracle or someone’s guiding light to show them the way.
Why pray? Pray because the Lord of the Harvest will respond to our prayers. He alone can cause every laborer to see the value of the harvest and sense the urgency of the moment. God alone commissions laborers to their work and give them courage of their assignment. In a world that desperately needs Jesus we need more laborers. Laborers who can share the message of salvation before the next natural disaster or mass shootings or violent conflict. The hour is urgent and the need is great!
John 4:35, 36 “You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe[a] for harvest. 36 The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!”
Luke 10:1-4 AMP “Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them out ahead of Him, two by two, into every city and place where He was about to go. 2 He was saying to them, “The harvest is abundant [for there are many who need to hear the good news about salvation], but the workers [those available to proclaim the message of salvation] are few. Therefore, [prayerfully] ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest. 3 Go your way; listen carefully: I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not carry a money belt, a provision bag, or [extra] sandals; and do not greet anyone along the way [who would delay you].”
Let us pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send forth active workers, who recognize the value of the harvest and has an urgency about the mission of God. Laborers who will go and work in the harvest field, understanding there may be some dangers but, they are still willing to go. Sometimes the days may get long and the nights lonely, sometimes they may get tired and weary, sometimes fearful, and timid, but they are committed to go. They have been selected by the Lord of the Harvest, called, and commissioned and they must not be delayed. I know of us are faithful and committed to Kingdom Building. Since we have a limited time to work, we must work while it is day. Since delay can be dangerous, let’s do our part now. Now is the time and today is the day of salvation. What is God calling you to do? How will you respond? When will you make your move? Let us pray now.
