"AN UNLIKELY HARVESTER"
INTRODUCTION
As she walked over and looked out the window, she saw the sun high in the sky and she knew it was near the sixth hour (12 noon).
It was going to be another hot day and there wasn’t even a small breeze to break the heat.
She knew that this was not the best time to go to the well to draw water, the heat made the trip down the dusty road very difficult almost unbearable. She would have much rather gone in the morning when the sun was down and the air was cool and the birds were still out serenading with their songs.
But she didn’t have that choice. You see that’s when the other women in the town went to draw their water. And she couldn’t face the stares, the whispering and the cold shoulders anymore. They either treated her as though she was the scum of the earth, shouting cruel things or they just looked right through her.
She had been at one time a beautiful woman, golden brown hair and deep blue eyes. But the years had not been kind to her, aging her beyond her years and leaving deep scares within her soul. She had struggled through 5 unsuccessful marriages and was now living with a man. "How did my life get so messed up, this is not how I dreamed things would be" she said herself each night ,as she cried herself to sleep.
She felt so alone, even though she lived in a city and was surrounded by many people she felt all alone, it was like she wasn’t even there, no one noticed, no cared and no one really reached out to her. Often she wondered what was the use of going on, is this all my life will ever be?
And as she left her small house that morning she carried with her a much heavier load, than just that water jar.
But if she only knew what was going to happened to her that day she would have been smiling and singing, she may have skipped or perhaps even ran, all the way to that well.
Because before the sun went down that day, her life would be changed forever. And when she laid her head on her pillow this night it would not be tears of pain that soaked her pillow, but rather tears of Joy, As she relived the events at the well, when she meet Jesus, Her Lord and Savior.
So when she finally drifted off to sleep that night, it was the image of her with the people of the town, with their eyes not full of hatred or judgment of her, but rather full of joy and excitement as she told them about Jesus. It was this image that closed her eyes that night.
Not many would have picked her, and said, "Yes she is the one, she’s the one that will bring her town to Jesus." From our human standpoint she was more than an unlikely harvester.
You know to me that is one of the most exciting things about God, how he so often uses the unlikely to accomplish his will and get his work done.
When Moses, barely 3 months old was placed in that tiny basket barely escaping death, He was not from a human standpoint at the time the one most likely to deliver his people.
What about David, even his own father didn’t think that he could possibly be a King after all he was just a shepherd boy. But when God looked at David, He didn’t see a shepherd boy,,but rather he saw a man after my own heart, And He told Samuel, this one, He will be my King.
I don’t think many would have picked Gideon to be the one to deliver the Nation of Israel from the Midianites, after all he even said himself, "BUT LORD, HOW CAN I SAVE ISRAEL? MY CLAN IS THE WEAKEST IN MANASSEH, AND I AM THE LEAST IN MY FAMILY." And did you know that when God called Him he was hiding in the cellar grinding wheat so the Midianites wouldn’t find him. But God, look at Gideon, at this unlikely leader and said "YOU ARE MY MIGHTY WARRIOR." AND GIDOEN WITH THE POWER OF GOD BEHIND HIM DEFEAT 135,000 MEN WITH 300 MEN.
And what about Saul of Tarsus, I am confident that the early church did not hold weekly meetings to discuss how they could convert Saul, because they felt that he just had so much potential for Jesus Christ -- They were afraid of Him and even after his conversion many were afraid for quit sometime.
Listen to what God says in I Samuel 16:7, this truth still needs to be learned today, "I DO NOT LOOK AT THE THINGS MAN LOOKS AT. MAN LOOKS AT THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE, BUT I LOOK AT THE HEART!"
God looks at the heart, and when God looked at:
MOSES HE SAID, "HE IS MY DELIVERER!"
GIDEON HE SAID, "HE IS A MIGHTY WARRIOR"
DAVID HE SAID, "HE SHALL BE MY KING!"
PAUL HE SAID, "HE WILL TAKE TO GOSPEL THROUGHOUT THE WORLD"
And when Jesus on that hot and sunny day in Samaria looked at that woman at the well, He said she, "she is the one who will take the Gospel to her town.
God is a master at using the unlikely, he is an artist at turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, time and time again in scripture we see God’s power manifested in lives of someone who on the outside my not look that impressive, but on the inside, has submitted and surrendered his or hers life completely to God. And Oh, the things God can do and the victories God can win, with that kind of surrendered life.
What about you what kind of Harvester are you, do you feel kind of ordinary (most of us are), do feel like an unlikely candidate to be a great harvester for the kingdom of God, I don’t have much to offer, what can I really do?. If that’s how you feel great! because you are just the kind of person that God loves to work with and work through. You see those who think they have already arrived, those who think they know all the answers and who think they can do everything, are to busy listening to themselves, to hear what God has to say.
Jesus said the fields are ripe for harvest, all that He is waiting for is willingly Harvesters.
Today as we study the account of the woman at the well in John 4, we will see that she serves as a good example, to all who truly desire to be a Harvester for God.
I. IF WE WANT TO BECOME AN EFFECTIVE HARVESTER FOR GOD, WE LIKE THE WOMAN AT THE WELL MUST LEAVE OUR JAR BEHIND
Listen to what John records for us in [4:28-30]
The first step that must take in following Jesus, THE FIRST STEP in becoming an effective harvester for Christ, is to put down our jars.
When the woman left her house that day, when she trudged down that hot dusty road, that Jar was very important to her, It was the jar, that brought her out of the house, and it was the jar that motivated her to endure the trip.
But when she met Jesus, as she encounter the Savior things changed (as they often do), the jar was no longer THAT important to her, because she like the 2 men in Jesus parables, had found the pearl of great price and had found a treasure hidden in the field, that was worth selling all one had to possess.. She had encountered the Messiah the Savior of the world, and he had become the most important thing to her, He was number 1 in her life now, and all else quickly shrunk in comparison.
This woman simply putting down the jar is an illustration of what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 10:37ff,
"ANYONE WHO LOVES HIS FATHER OR MOTHER MORE THAN ME IS NOT WORTHY OF ME, ANYONE WHO LOVES SON OR DAUGHTER MORE THAN ME IS NOT WORTHY OF ME;
(ANYONE WHO PUTS ANYTHING, AND BY ANYTHING, JESUS MEANS ANYTHING, THAT’S WHY HE CHOOSE TO SHOW HOW OUR LOVE FOR HIM MUST SURPASS THE STRONG LOVE OF FAMILY; IF WE PUT ANYTHING BEFORE CHRIST WE ARE NOT WORTHY OF BEING HIS DISCIPLE)
When the women put down the Jar she, was DECLARING that Jesus was the most important thing to her. So from now on, when I say put down the Jar, What I mean by that is, we are to put down anything that we are putting before Jesus, and place Jesus Christ, our Lord and King First -- Where he rightly belongs!!
Let me say this, that just because we feel we are following Jesus, this does not mean that we have put down our Jar. In John chapter 4 the disciples provide an excellent example of this, of trying to follow Jesus and still carry a Jar -- As we will see, it just does not work too well.
Jesus’ disciples were following Jesus, but they still were carrying with them a Jar. Do you know what that Jar was? It was the Jar of prejudice -- You see the disciples were Jews and they hated the Samaritans, they considered them half breeds, worse than mongrel dogs. They even in their prayers, daily thank God that they had not been born a worthless Samaritan.
And because they had this Jar, they could not see the great need that was all around them, When they returned to Jesus, they were shocked to find Jesus talking to a Samaritan and a women at that.
Though they knew better then to say it, I am sure they would have loved to have said to Jesus, "MASTER YOUR TIME IS MUCH TOO VALUABLE TO BE WASTED ON PEOPLE SUCH AS THESE, LET’S LEAVE HERE AND GO SOMEWHERE MORE SUITABLE."
Jesus had called these men to be fishers of men, He wanted them to Harvest the world for the Kingdom of God, And here they are surrounded by a great harvest, sitting smack dab in the middle of it, but because of their Jar of Prejudice, because they had not yet really put Jesus first, they were unable to see the need.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we need to ask ourselves a very serious question tonight, and that question is, WHAT KIND OF HARVESTER AM I FOR JESUS CHRIST AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD?
BE HONEST, DON’T SUGAR COAT IT. ARE YOU, AND AM I, THE HARVESTER WE SHOULD BE, AND IF THE ANSWER IS NO, PERHAPS IT IS BECAUSE JESUS IS NOT REALLY FIRST IN OUR LIVES (O WE MOUTH THE WORDS EVER SO PIOUSLY, BUT WE DON’T LIVE THE REALITY), YES PERHAPS IT IS BECAUSE THERE ARE SOMETHINGS WE HAVE NOT LET GO of YET. Some sins, SOME ACTIONS AND ATTITUDES THAT we refuse to give up.
LET’S NOT FOOL OURSELVES INTO THINKING THAT WE CAN EFFECTIVELY WIN BATTLES FOR GOD, WITH IMPURITY AND IDOLS IN OUR LIVES. JOSHUA LEARNED THIS TRUTH DURING THE FIRST BATTLE WITH AI, IN JOSHUA CHAPTER 7, WHERE WE READ OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL BEING DEFEATED, BECAUSE OF THE SIN OF ONE MAN. GOD MUST BE FIRST IN OUR LIVES, THAT’S WHAT HE SAID AND THAT’S WHAT HE MEANS -- WE MUST PUT DOWN THE JARS!!!!
Some have Jars of prejudice, just like the disciples, "Oh, we really don’t want those people in our church, they’re not like us, they wouldn’t fit in, they have nothing to offer us"
Some have put money, job and material things before Christ, they are trying to follow JESUS, carrying around this Jar. But they are so caught up in the things of this world, that are only temporary, that they have little energy or time for the eternal things, they have no time to harvest, THEY HAVE NO TIME FOR JESUS- They already give their best to another.
Some have put THE pleasures of the flesh before Christ, they are doing things that they know are wrong and yet they are still trying to follow Christ, carrying along this deadly and heavy Jar. And this Jar is blocking their view, SO THAT they can’t see the needs all around them, they can’t even see their own need.
Some are carrying a Jar of hatred, bitterness and unforgivenss, they just can’t let it go and it is destroying them. Do they really think they can effectively serve The Lord God Almighty, ONE Who exemplifies True Mercy and Forgiveness, while carrying around this jar.
And some are carrying a jar of selfishness, "What about me, what about my needs."
There are many things that we put before Christ, we could go on and list them all night, but I think you get the idea.
IF WE REALLY WANT TO BE A GREAT HARVESTER FOR GOD WE LIKE, THE WOMAN AT THE WELL NEED TO PUT CHRIST FIRST, AND FIRST MEANS JUST THAT FIRST!!! WE NEED TO PUT DOWN OUR JAR.
II. AND WHEN WE DO WE LIKE THE WOMEN AT THE WELL WILL BE ABLE TO OPEN OUR EYES
When the woman at the well left her house that day, when she walked down that hot dusty road, probably the last thing she wanted or expected to do, was to talk to the people in the town.
They didn’t care about her and she didn’t particularly care about them.
BUT, Do you know what she did right after she met Jesus and put her Jar down? The text said that she went back to the town and told them about Jesus.
Because she had met Jesus, and because she had put Jesus first in her life, because she now had her needs met in Christ -- because she put her Jar down and it could no loner block her view, she was NOW able, to open her eyes and see the needs that were all around her. She was able to see what the disciples couldn’t see because of their Jar of prejudice), she was able to see a field that was ripe and that was ready for harvest. She was able to see what Jesus had already seen, but was waiting for a true harvester to see. She was able to see her town through he eyes of Jesus.
My friends we are surrounded on all sides by hurting people. The people in this world, in this country and in this community are drifting aimlessly and the boat is taking on water fast. They are desperately seeking meaning, they are frantically searching for answers and they are crying out for reasons to dream dreams and to have hope. The field are ready for harvesters.
And unfortunately there are those of The dark Kingdom who are more than willing to harvest them (and they are doing so at near record pace), as they lie to them about life’s true meaning, as they give them wrong answers to their questions and as they fill them with hollow dreams and false hopes.
The fields are ready, they are ripe for harvest, they are all around us, Where are those fields:
In your neighborhood and my neighborhood
where you work
in your schools
in your families
and in the area of where of Odessa Church..
IF WE WOULD ONLY OPEN OUR EYES, IF WE WOULD ONLY SEE THEM THROUGH THEY EYES OF JESUS, THEN WE WOULD SEE THE NEED.
BUT PERHAPS WE HAVE A JAR IN THE WAY, SOMETHING IN OUR LIFE THAT WE NEED TO GET RID OF, AND IT IS OBSTRUCTING OUR VIEW OF THE HARVEST. JESUS MUST BE OUR LORD!! HE MUST COME FIRST!!
IF WE WANT TO BE A TRUE HARVESTER FOR GOD, WE LIKE THE WOMAN AT THE WELL, MUST FIRST OUT DOWN OUR JAR, AND WE MUST OPEN OUR EYES TO THE NEEDS AROUND US.
III. AND WE LIKE THE WOMAN AT THE WELL, MUST ALSO TAKE DECISIVE ACTION
It does no good to merely see the need and not take any action. I think James the half brother of Jesus in his letter SAID good as it can be said.
[JAMES 2:14-17]
TRUE FAITH, ALIVE FAITH, TAKES ACTION, DEAD FAITH DOESN’T!!
Back in Matthew 10 which we read earlier, Jesus said that after we have put him first, then we are to take up our cross and follow Him.
We are to take action.
I can not emphasize enough the need for us to put Christ first, the need to really know Him as Lord an Savior.
IF WE DON’T DO THAT OUR WORK IS INEFFECTIVE, MEDIOCRE, LUKE WARM AND HALF HEARTED.BUT IF WE DO THIS, PUT HIM FIRST, AND ON A DAILY BASIS INSURE THAT HER REMAINS FIRST (this is important), I AM CONVINCED THAT OUR WORK WILL HAPPEN NATURALLY, AND WILL PLEASE GOD.
If there is something in your life that is coming before Jesus, if he is not number one, if you are carrying around a jar -- will you leave with Jesus tonight.
CONCLUSION:
JESUS WAS SITTING AT THE WELL BEFORE THE WOMAN ARRIVED, AND AS HE LOOKED OVER THE TOWN HE SAW THE HARVEST, HE SAW THE NEEDS AND HE HEARD THE CRIES OF PAIN.
AND HE SAT THERE WAITING FOR A HARVESTER; AND HEARD THE DISTANT SOUND OF FEET APPROACHING AND AS HE LOOKED UP HE SAID THIS IS THE ONE, SHE’LL DO IT, SHE WILL TAKE THE GOOD NEWS TO HER TOWN. NOT BY HUMAN STANDARDS A LIKELY CANDIDATE, BUT HE SAW HER HEART AND KNEW SHE HAD A WILLING SUBMISSIVE SPIRIT.
AND MY, WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH SOMEONE WHO WILL SIMPLY GIVE THEIR ENTIRE LIFE TO JESUS.
THERE ARE MANY OTHER PLACES READY FOR HARVEST TODAY, MANY OTHER PLACES WHERE JESUS IS SITTING, SEEING THE NEEDS AND FEELING THE PAIN AND HEARING THE SILENT CRIES OF HURTING PEOPLE, WHO NEED TO HEAR THE GOOD NEWS -- THAT GOD LOVES THEM, THAT GOD SENT JESUS TO DIE FOR THEM -- AND THAT HE CAME TO GIVE THEM LIVE AND GIVE TO THE FULL.
AND HE IS SITTING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS -- HE IS SITTING WHERE YOU WORK -- WHERE YOU GO TO SCHOOL -- HE IS SITTING IN YOUR FAMILIES AND HE IS SITTING AT THE CHURCH PROPERTY IN ODESSA -- AND HE IS SITTING RIGHT OUTSIDE THESE CHURCH DOORS -- WAITING FOR A HARVESTER -- WAITING FOR SOMEONE WILLING TO PUT THEIR JARS AND PICK UP THE CROSS AND FOLLOW HIM.
AND JESUS LOOKS UP AS HE HEARS THE SOUNDS OF DISTANT FEET APPROACHING, AND HE SEES SOMEONE APPROACHING, HE SEES SOMEONE WHO IS WILLING TO PUT HIM FIRST WILLING TO PUT DOWN THEIR JAR -- AND REACH OUT TO THE WORLD’S HURTING PEOPLE.
SOMEONE WHO WILL TAKE THE GOOD NEWS TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, SCHOOLS, WORKPLACE THEIR FAMILIES -- IS THAT SOMEONE YOU, IS IT YOU, HOW ABOUT YOU, IS IT ME?
ARE WE THE UNLIKELY HARVESTER?
