DISCOVERING YOUR GIFT (MISSIONARY); HELP WANTED
MATTHEW 9:35-38
GOOD – BETTER – BEST . . .
. . . TWO WORD SIGN . . .
. . . POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH . . . WILLING WORKERS . . . MANAGEMENT . . .
ON THIS FIRST SUNDAY – CONFERENCE YEAR AS WE LAY OUT THE GOALS FOR THE MINISTRY THIS YEAR;
GOALS : SPIRITUAL GROWTH, NUMERICAL GROWTH, FINANCIAL GROWTH…
- DAY CARE PROGRAM, COMPUTER MINISTRY, FOOD BANK . . .
I THOUGHT I WOULD REMIND US ALL THAT AS WE STRIVE TO GO FROM GOOD – BETTER – BEST, THAT GOD HAS PLACED A TWO WORD SIGN NOT ONLY IN OUR CHURCH’S WINDOW, BUT IN THE WINDOW – KINGDOM . . .
. . . CHAPTER NINE OPENS UP IN VERSES 1-8 WITH JESUS HEALING A PARALYZED MAN OF HIS SICKNESS. IN VERSES 9-13 JESUS CALLS MATTHEW HIS DISCIPLE OUT OF HIS SICKNESS . . .
HENCE CHAPTER NINE, VERSES 1-13 SHOWS US THAT WHETHER YOUR SICKNESS IS PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, FINANCIAL, OR SPIRITUAL, THE CURE IS JESUS . . .
IN VERSES 14-17, JESUS HEALS THE DISCIPLES OF JOHN THE BAPTIST AND THE PHARISEES OF THEIR WARPED WAY OF THINKING CONCERNING WHEN AND HOW ONE SHOULD FAST.
IN VERSES 18-26 WE DISCOVER THAT NOT ONLY IS JESUS CONCERNED ABOUT HEALING OUR PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, FINANCIAL, AND SPIRITUAL BROKENNESS, BUT UNLIKE MOST MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE ONLY INTERESTED IN SEEING YOU IF YOU HAVE A HMO, PPO, OR KNOW THE CEO, JESUS WANTS TO PROVIDE HEALING TO “WHOSOEVER WILL, LET THEM COME.”
PAUSE HERE AND REMIND US ALL THAT EVEN TODAY THE CHURCH OPERATING LIKE JESUS IS TO BE A HOSPITAL WHERE WHOSOEVER WILL, LET THEM COME AND BE MADE WHOLE. THE CHURCH IS TO BE A PLACE: WHERE NOT ONLY LIVES – SAVED, BROKEN HEARTS – MENDED, WOUNDED SPIRITS – REPAIRED, SHATTERED DREAMS - RESTORED, BUT THE CHURCH IS A PLACE WHERE ACCORDING TO VERSES 27-34 BLINDERS ARE REMOVED AND NEW VISION, NEW DREAMS, NEW ASPIRATIONS, NEW WAYS OF THINKING, NEW LEVELS OF LIVING EMERGE.
YET, VERSE 32 CAUTIONS THAT NO MATTER THE HEALINGS THAT HAVE OCCURRED, NO MATTER THE MIRACLES – TRANSPIRED, NO MATTER – DEMONS CAST OUT, NO MATTER – HOW NEW TALK/CONCEPTS ARE BIRTHED, NO MATTER – HOW GOOD YOU’VE BEEN, THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM TO BECOME BETTER ON YOUR WAY TO DOING YOUR BEST.
V. 35 THAT JESUS AS HE TRAVELED THROUGH TOWNS/VILLAGES, AS HE TAUGHT – SYNAGOGUES, AS HE ANNOUNCED – GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD, AS HE HEALED EVERY KIND OF DISEASE AND ILLNESS.
V. 36 HE STILL SAW CROWDS OF PEOPLE, WHO WERE CONFOUND AND HELPLESS LIKE SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD. WANDERING AROUND AIMLESSLY, LIVING LIFE WITHOUT PURPOSE, SPIRITUALLY PERISHING BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE, SPIRITUALLY MALNOURISHED, HEADED DOWN THE WRONG PATH OF LIFE.
AFRAID, TIRED, ASHAMED, BROKE, BUSTED, AND DISGUSTED WHEN THEY NEED NOT TO, IF WE THE CHURCH, THE ECCLESIA, THE CALLED OUT WOULD PURSUE THEM LIKE GOD USED SOMEBODY TO PURSUE US WITH HIS GOODNESS AND UNFAILING LOVE.
V. 36 – JESUS SEEING THE STATE THEY WERE IN HAD COMPASSION ON THEM.
JESUS WAS MOVED WITH COMPASSION. COMPASSION MEANS TO LITERALLY BECOME SICK INSIDE. JESUS WAS HEARTSICK, BURDENED, AND BROKENHEARTED AT THE STATE OF THE PEOPLE SURROUNDING HIM.
COMPASSION IS THE MOST INTENSE WORD FOR PITY IN THE GREEK LANGUAGE. IT IS FORMED FROM A WORD THAT MEANS THE BOWELS, AND IT DESCRIBES THE COMPASSION WHICH MOVES A MAN TO THE DEEPEST DEPTHS OF HIS BEING. COMPASSION THAT COMES FROM THE GUTS. COMPASSION, NOT JUST FEELING SORRY FOR SOMEONE AND DOING NOTHING, BUT COMPASSION SAYS I WILL DO SOMETHING (GOOD SAMARITAN) . . .
JESUS MOVED WITH COMPASSION, JESUS FIGHTING BACK TEARS, JESUS TURNED TO HIS DISCIPLES AND SAID IN A WORLD WHERE:
MOTHERS – MAD
POLITICIANS – PEDOPHILES
SAINTS – AINT
SCHOOL CHILDREN AREN’T SAFE AT SCHOOL
THE HARVEST IS GREAT.
THE WORD, HARVEST IN GREEK MEANS (IN VERB FORM) “TO REAP, TO GATHER, COLLECT, BRING IN” (IN NOUN FORM) IT REFERS TO “THE CROP, THE PRODUCE, THE PRODUCT, THE YIELD, THE PEOPLE, THE SHEEP, THE LOST, HURTING, UNLOVED” . . .
1. THE HARVEST IS NOW
a. JOHN 4:35 “DO YOU NOT SAY, FOUR MONTHS MORE AND THEN THE HARVEST? I TELL YOU, OPEN YOUR EYES AND LOOK AT THE FIELDS! THE HARVEST IS NOW.
b. DO NOT POSTPONE UNTIL TOMORROW WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY.
c. . .. THE BEST TIME TO DO SOMETHING WORTHWHILE IS BETWEEN YESTERDAY AND TOMORROW . . .
2. THE HARVEST IS RIPE
a. IF FRUIT IS RIPE AND IS NOT PLUCKED, IT WILL DROP AND BE DESTROYED . . .
b. COMMUNITY, CITY, STATE, COUNTRY, WORLD
c. NG WAH . . . WE ARE LOSING SOULS TO OTHER FAITHS . . .
d. LOSING SOULS TO HELL. SOMEBODY SHOULD SCREAM “I’VE GOT TO TELL SOMEBODY . . .”
e. HARVEST IS NOW, RIPE
3. THE HARVEST IS READY
a. BUT JESUS SAID THE PROBLEM IS: “THE HARVEST IS NOW, RIPE, READY, GREAT, BUT THE LABORERS ARE FEW.”
b. V. 38 – SO PRAY TO THE LORD, OUR FATHER . . . WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE HARVEST: PRAY TO HIM, THAT HE WILL SEND MORE WORKERS INTO THE VINEYARD.
c. PRAY – SPIRIT OF ISAIAH 6:8 . . .
