PLOW YOUR FIELD
Luke 9:57-62, "And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
TRAITOR – even the very word tends to force a bit of anger and disgust to arise in the heart of a patriot. To think that anyone would turn against our own nation where he is given the freedom to earn his livelihood, where his children may be raised in peace and prosperity and safety, and where he is counted as an equal with every other citizen.
We grow angry with those who sold our military secrets to our enemies during the Cold War. Righteous indignation rises within us when we see the abuse of children and spouses, the terribly unjust decisions of our courts and the attempt to cast every vestige of God from the public eye. None of us like traitors, turn coats, or spies.
One of the most famous traitors in American historical records was a man who, at the age 14, ran away from home and fought in the French and Indian War. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, he joined the American army as a Colonel and in 1775 shared a command with Ethan Allen in the capture of Ticonderoga. Later he led 1000 men into Canada where he fought in the battle of Quebec. His courage in battle won him a promotion to Brigadier General. But something went wrong. Thoughts of compromise ate away at his patriotic zeal. Soon the unthinkable happened. He offered his services to the British, and in 1780 devised a plan to surrender West Point to British control. Today, instead of being remembered as a national hero, Benedict Arnold is the very definition of a "traitor."
In our message for tonight, I want to point out that there are “traitors” to the cause of Christ as well as traitors to our nation.
Here are some examples of men who desired to be called disciples of Jesus, some of whom even received the call to the ministry, and yet they would not sell out to perform the duty that God had for them. They were easily persuaded to turn back and to sell out their very souls for the things of this life. They spurned their allegiance to Jesus and turned back to serving the devil instead. They were the ultimate “traitors”.
But we can’t point any fingers at these men for how many of us have done the same thing? How many have we seen who started out living for Jesus but who were quickly persuaded or discouraged to the point that they gave in and turned back to their old life.
Here is a scribe that desires to follow Christ, but he seems to have been hasty and rash, and not to have counted the cost. If we mean to follow Christ, we must lay aside the thoughts of great things in the world. Let us not try to join the profession of Christianity, with seeking after worldly advantages.
If you look at this verse on the surface, you may think that this man really wanted to be a disciple of Christ. But Jesus knew his heart, that his desire was not for the right motive. This scribe had seen the miracles that Jesus did, and observed the fame of Jesus among the people, began to think that Jesus would be accepted as the Messiah; and by joining himself to him, promised himself a life of honor, and wealth.
These seem to be the motives, which prevailed upon him to take so sudden and hasty a step; for he did not wait to be called to follow Christ, as the other disciples were, but offered himself to become one.
Have you seen men like this scribe? There are many who look upon the lifestyle of a preacher of the gospel in some churches who think that they want to be a preacher so that they can sleep in, play golf, get the recognition and be able to tell others what to do. They don’t see the late nights, the hospital visitations, counseling sessions, planning meetings, sermon preparations, hours in prayer and bible study, or the opposition and troubles that plague the ministry.
Jesus was aware of this man’s motives and so it didn’t take him long to set the record straight. Serving Jesus as one of his disciples is not a life of ease, not a life of this world’s honor, or a life that is filled with the wealth of this world.
Foxes have holes – a figure of speech that point to the base men of this present world who lurk about, cunning and crafty people who lie in wait for those unsuspecting souls who will fall for their tricks and be robbed or cheated – even those base men of the world have their hiding places, their lairs, their places of rest to call home where there is some peace and privacy.
Natural foxes have holes in the earth, where they can hide themselves from danger, take their rest, and secure their whelps – the Creator, living in the body of flesh as a man, did not have even the comfort that some of the lowliest of his own created creatures had.
His disciples must be resigned to the fact that they too, may have to live with no place to call their own.
I have admired those who work tirelessly for the Lord with no thought of retirement homes or personal nest eggs for their old age. While God gives us the ability to have these things quite often, we must never allow those things to be the limiting factor in our service to the Lord.
… the birds of the air have nests…, where they sit, lay, and hatch their eggs, and bring up their young…
…but the son of man has not where to lay his head…,
Jesus had no “nest”, no place to call home, or no where to stop where he could train his disciples. Their work for the Kingdom of God, and ours, must be learned on the fly. Learning to be a disciple of Jesus is not a school in comfortable surroundings. It’s On the Job Training (OJT) in the jungles with the missionaries, in the ice caps of the snow bound northern climates, in the burning heat of the desert country and in the backside of the desert where most of humanity would rather not be.
It’s eating food that no one else would eat, drinking water that isn’t always pure, and living long periods of time separated from family and friends.
I like what Jesse Duplantis says in one of his messages that I heard.
When he answered the call to the ministry he was not given a lot of encouragement. He was told that they would starve to death, lose everything he had, get chased out of town by irate sinners, have his family threatened – but welcome to the ministry.
There are just too many Christians who come up with the same excuses that the scribe, and the other two disciples did.
Let the dead bury their dead –
Here is another disciple that desires to follow Christ, but he begs a short delay in answering the call of God on his life. To this man Christ first gave the call. Jesus said to him, Follow me. Religion teaches us to be kind and good, to show piety at home, and to requite our parents; but we must not make these an excuse for neglecting our duty to God.
Jesus had said to him "follow me”. Jesus given him a call to be his disciple, and to go and preach the Gospel, which he did not refuse; but he desired "first" to attend his father’s funeral, who was now dead;
Christ would not excuse him on this account but said that he should have a greater commitment to him, than to the nearest relative or friend and to show the importance of preaching the gospel above every other business on the earth.
Jesus said that his disciple should let those who are dead in trespasses and sins take care of burying those who are dead in a natural or corporal sense.
How much importance do we give to the call of God in our lives? Do we allow anything to keep us from the House of God? Do we allow everything to keep us from the House of God? People will miss serving God at church times but they certainly wouldn’t miss being at work in the morning. They won’t be in service on Wednesday evenings because they are too tired but they will never miss a chance to be at the restaurant or the movie theaters or some party. They don’t feel well enough to be in God’s house serving him but they will head out the door in an instant if there is a really good sale down at the local Walmart store.
…another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house
Here is another disciple that is willing to follow Christ, but he must have a little time to talk with his friends about it, and to set his household in order, and give directions concerning them. He seemed to have worldly concerns more upon his heart than he ought to have, and he was willing to enter into a temptation leading him from his purpose of following Christ. We can’t afford to have our attention divided because Satan will divide and conquer.
Those who begin with the work of God must resolve to go on, or they won’t accomplish much. Looking back, leads to drawing back, and drawing back leads to giving up and backsliding. He that endures to the end shall be saved.
Jesus said that no one who takes hold of the plow of the gospel and begins to plow through humanity, making a fertile field, where the dreams of the salvation of many souls can come true, can every turn around lest they should begin to turn from their intended end.
A Farmer ought to look before him, watch his plow, and the ground he is plowing, or he is not fit to be a farmer; nor will he make proper rows, or do his work well; and so he that enters upon the ministerial work, and looks back, and engages himself in the affairs of the world, sets his heart on them, and spends his time in them, is not fit for the kingdom of God: that is, to preach the kingdom of God.
He cannot serve God and wealth or power or his own interest, and the interest of Christ at the same time for they are opposite to each other. He cannot rightly perform the work of the ministry, while his thoughts and time are taken up in the affairs of the world.
God has placed the call upon your life! Will YOU answer that call and be faithful?
In the movie “Field of Dreams”, there is a voice that speaks out of the field, “If you build it, he will come.” I can hear the voice of God speaking from the fields of lost souls that are white unto harvest, “If you plow, souls will be saved.” It’s time to put your hand to the plow and never look back.
If you want to have a Field of Dreams then look to your plow and plow a straight row. Keep your eyes on Jesus and don’t be caught looking back.
