January 6, 2005
Morning Worship
Text: Luke 10:1-12
Subject: #1 in the Series – Preparing for the Harvest
Title: Sending Out Laborers.
My family moved from St. Charles County, MO in June of 1964 when my Mom and Step-dad bought a little country store about 8 miles north of Troy. As a boy of twelve I was excited about the move. But I didn’t realize how much work would be involved in growing up as the son of retailers. There was a lot of work involved just getting the store ready for business. Then there was the actual operation. Each member of the family was expected to do their part. On Tuesday, the store was closed so my parents could go to St. Louis and pick up needed supplies. On Wednesday it was our job to price the new stock and get it all on the shelves. Yes Alice, we moved the old stock to the front and placed the new to the back, and we dusted off the old as we moved it. We took an inventory every quarter for tax purposes.
Along with helping with the store, we waited on cars at the gas pumps. (No self-serve pumps) I couldn’t tell you the number of times that people came in to get one or two dollars worth of gas.
Now I need to tell you, everything that we were asked to do as children was made easier by the fact that we were given instructions to follow. There were certain ways to bag groceries. Put all the refrigerated items together in the same bag. Double bag them. Put as many canned goods together as you could. Get as much in a bag as possible. Bags are expensive. Always carry groceries out for the customer. Always be polite. When someone came for gas always ask what grade (regular or ethyl) and how much. Always wash the windshield and check the oil. And always treat people with respect. We were always well prepared to do the work appointed to us.
In our text today, we see that Jesus has given seventy disciples a job to do. And much like the story I just related about my childhood, He also gave them everything they needed to know about the work He was asking them to do. He was sending them out to begin the harvest of souls that continues today. And the words He told to the seventy are as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago.
Let’s see what Jesus says about going into the harvest fields.
I. APPOINTED TO SERVE (1-3)
A. Sent By Jesus. Verse 1, “After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.” If we look back to 9:57-62 we can see what Luke was referring to when he wrote, “after these things…” Three different men approach Jesus about following Him, but Jesus knew their hearts and responded appropriately. In Verse 62, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” So after these things… Jesus appointed seventy (NIV says 72) others. Seventy was considered by the Jews to be the number of Gentile nations there were in the world. So by implication, Jesus was saying what He confirmed in the great commission. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” He was sending disciples out to continue the work because He knew that His time on earth was short and that after that the final judgment could come at any time. So there is a sense of urgency in what Jesus is doing.
B. Sent Two by Two. Sending Messengers “two-by-two” was common, not only among early Christians, but among the Jews as well. It provided companionship, protection, and the double witness called for in Deuteronomy 17:6 and 19:5. By sending them out like this, He was preparing a wider area to receive the message of the kingdom that He was going to preach. It is necessary to cover as much ground as possible while we wait for the return of the Lord. Jesus said, “The harvest is truly great, but the laborers are few…” When there is a lot of work and not many workers, somebody has to get busy. Did you notice that part of the great commission tells us to go and preach the gospel, and part tells us to make disciples? When we make disciples we create workers. It would appear that much of the discipleship work is done through prayer. “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Wow, that takes some pressure off doesn’t it? I mean if we pray that God would send laborers out to the harvest then all we have to do is sit back and keep praying right? In Luke 9:12-13, “12When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.”
13But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” In John chapter 4 Jesus told His disciples, “I have food to eat of which you do not know… My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and finish His work.” At the end of John’s gospel Jesus told Peter, “Feed My lambs… Tend My sheep… Feed My sheep.” So does Jesus expect us to send others and do nothing ourselves? I think He wants us to give spiritual food to the spiritually destitute.
C. Sent to the World. Now Jesus commands them to, “Go your way…” If we are going to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send out laborers, we also can be an answer to our own prayer. In other words, pray that the Lord would bless your ministry as you go out. “Behold I send you out as lambs among wolves.” That doesn’t sound very appealing does it? Why would we want to go out into the harvest field to try to reap a harvest that bites as you reap it? Because that is exactly what the Lamb of God did on our behalf. But Jesus is warning them of what to expect. Is there a more noble reason to go into the world than to share the gospel of Jesus Christ? But because the message is noble doesn’t mean that you will be treated like nobility. Jesus warned His disciples in Matthew 24:9, “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.” Yet if we don’t go into the harvest fields and proclaim the gospel message to those who are lost and dying, their blood is on our heads. We know of the judgment to come. We know about hell. We know the word of God. We are compelled to share the truth with the world. It is theirs to do with what they want, but we must tell them.
II. ANOINTED FOR MINISTRY (4-9)
A. Dependant on Christ. When I went on a missions trip to Mexico some years ago one of the things that I particularly noticed was how well organized everything was. Everyone had all the paperwork in order. The Pastors that were heading everything up had been in contact with the missionary in Tampico who met us at the border to help us get through without too much hassle. We had all of our tools. We had a general plan. We had all the right workers scheduled to be in all the right places. The only real confrontation we had was with a military group who stopped us about ten miles inside the border, who the missionary bribed with a couple of boxes of Twinkies. I have to admit that there was some prayer going up when they stopped us and made everyone get off the vans. The point is that with all our planning there were still some things that went on that you couldn’t plan for. But look at what Jesus says to the seventy. “Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road.” Why would He say that? First, the less stuff you have the more focused you can be. How often have you seen people who are blessed with finances start buying things – a pool, a boat, a vacation property… - and before long those things become the master of the owner. I’ve got this boat and I’ve spent a lot of money on it so I am going to use it every week- end that I can. Jesus says, “Don’t depend on stuff. Depend on Me. Don’t even stop to greet anyone along the way. You have a mission to accomplish. Don’t let anything stop you.
B. Speaking for Christ. Verse 5, “And whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not it will return to you.” “Peace” is the familiar Jewish greeting. And it has such great value here. If the host is hospitable and willing to let the evangelists stay there, peace will be on the house. If someone has that right kind of attitude it is likely that they would be open to receive the message of the kingdom. Then peace would truly rest on that house. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you: not as the world gives do I give to you…” To the world peace is comfort, lack of conflict, living for the moment, but for the Christian peace is the peace that passes all understanding, knowing where your eternal inheritance lies.
C. Acting Like Christ. And wherever you go, “remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give…” Jesus stayed with Matthew the tax collector. He also stayed with Zacchaeus another tax collector. Both were saved. In all reality, because of His renown Jesus could have probably stayed in all the best hotels and ate at the best restaurants. But He didn’t go around wanting the best. He went where He could be most effective. He stayed with sinners who were receptive to His message. Ministry isn’t about seeking out what is best for the minister. There is a real message there for preachers isn’t there? Find where the Lord wants you and stay there. Conversely, there is a message for Christians as well. There was a song by Ray Boltz on I think it was the “Watch the Lamb” CD, and it was called The Church Hop. It had a line in it that said, “Once you get started you just can’t stop… Don’t you be doing the church hop…” Christians need to learn to get locked into a church and stay there. Verse 8, “whatever they feed you eat it.” As long as it is nourishing take it.
D. The Authority of Christ. What was the purpose of the missions trip that the seventy were on? It was to preach the kingdom message. What was the kingdom message? That Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God had come down to visit His people and therefore the kingdom was at hand. What was expected to be the confirmation of the message? The sick were going to be healed. Notice this once again. I’ve said it before. God is confirming His message with signs and wonders. When the word is preached people can be healed, miracles can be performed, demons can be cast out. The word is a supernatural weapon. When we go forth speaking the truth in love we know that the enemy will try to stop us. But Jesus has given all believers His authority to tread on serpents, pull down strongholds, and beat down the gates of hell. I love the scripture that describes the amazement of the scribes and Pharisees when Jesus spoke as one having authority and not as the scribes did. We can also speak the word in the authority of Christ and expect to back it up with healing.
III. INSTRUCTED IN JUDGMENT (10-12)
A. Rebuke the Unbelievers. Verse 10-11, “But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you’…” Whenever a Jew had to travel through Gentile territory, they could carefully clean off all the dust from their clothing because they considered it as defiling. Jesus is saying that along with the message being preached, there should also be a warning to those who reject it, warning them of their uncleanness before the Lord. Sometime if you can’t love them into the kingdom, you may have to scare them into the kingdom. Let’s just get them into the kingdom.
B. Declare the Kingdom. Be sure you tell them that the kingdom of God has come near you. You’ve had your chance. When you stand before God and He asks why He should let you into heaven, you won’t be able to say you never heard. Remind people that they are responsible for their own salvation. It has been offered them. They need to receive it.
C. Warn the Offenders. Sodom was known as the most reprehensible of all cities in the history of man. Yet for those cities that reject the message of salvation and the messengers, their judgment will be more severe than that of Sodom.
Jesus gave seventy disciples everything they needed to go out and minister to the lost. He sent them in power and authority. He gave them the message and the method. He helped them focus their attention to the task. He is still sending out laborers today. But before He sends anyone He calls them. He has called all of us to take the gospel into the world, but today I believe that He is speaking to individual hearts about the harvest. He is preparing us for the great harvest that is coming. He is calling people today, much like He did with Isaiah in 6:8, “I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me’.” Going out is hard work. I think that many just don’t think you are able to do it. I’ve got news for you. None of us are effective on our own, but we have to remember that we are being sent by Jesus.
A farmer once said, "The hardest thing about milking cows is that they never stay milked." The hardest thing about the great commission is that it never stops till Jesus comes back. Yet we are called to do it.
When the company founded by Andrew Carnegie was taken over by the U.S. Steel Corporation in 1901 it acquired as one of its obligations a contract to pay the top Carnegie executive, Charles M. Schwab, the then unheard of minimum sum of $1,000,000. J.P. Morgan of U.S. Steel was in a quandary about it. The highest salary on record was then $100,000. He met with Schwab, showed him the contract and hesitatingly asked what could be done about it.
"This," said Schwab, as he took the contract and tore it up. That contract had paid Schwab $1,300,000 the year before. "I didn’t care what salary they paid me," Schwab later told a Forbes magazine interviewer. "I was not animated by money motives. I believed in what I was trying to do and I wanted to see it brought about. I cancelled that contract without a moment’s hesitation. Why do I work? I work for just the pleasure I find in work, the satisfaction there is in developing things, in creating. Also, the associations business begets. The person who does not work for the love of work, but only for money, is not likely to make money nor to find much fun in life."
Bits and Pieces, May, 1991, p. 2.
If we work for the Lord only because we have to we might as well tear the contract up. Doing God’s work should always be a pleasure, bring peace and joy. There is nothing any better than leading someone to the Lord.
The sign in the store window read: NO HELP WANTED. As two men passed by, one said to the other, "You should apply--you’d be great."
That’s not the kind of disciples the Lord is sending out. He is sending out those who are grateful for their salvation. He is sending out those who have a heart for the lost. He is sending out those who want to make a difference for the kingdom.
Is He calling you by name today?
