Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction: One of the interesting discoveries I observed from our time in Kenya last May, was the way in which they raised corn.

We were in the mountainous region of Kapsowar, and the hillsides were very steep, so the local farmers used a terrace method of farming.

Since the terrine was far too steep for a tractor, they would dig out by hand planting paths along the field, then plant their corn in those trails.

While were were taking some walks I also noticed that they would plant beans with the corn.

I asked one of the locals why she did it that way.

There may have been several reasons but simply, that’s the way your supposed to do it.

In order to gain the best yield or harvest, that's how you plant the seed.

When it comes to physical planting and harvesting , there are ways that you are supposed to do it.

In the same way, when it comes to spiritual planting and harvesting, there are plain principles for how we are supposed to go about it.

Today, we are going to discover from God’s word principles for the spiritual harvest.

Transition: We are revisiting a passage from John’s gospel in 4:31-38.

We have already noted that the emphasis of this whole passage from 4:1-45 is revealing Jesus as the Messiah to not only the Jews, but also the Samaritans and those whom He will save from every tribe and language group.

Now, before we launch into chapter 5 there are some unique truths about Jesus’ ministry to the whole world that we need to pay attention to.

if we would be disciples who is follow Jesus into the harvest field, we must go about it His way.

(Read the text)

Transition: The first thing we notice in this passage is Jesus’ own description of what brings Him satisfaction and nourishment.

See verse 34…

Jesus is using a physical example of food and teaching His disciples a spiritual reality. he is saying that His nourishment, fulfillment, sustenance, satisfaction, rest, purpose, significance, contentment… his accomplishment is to “do the will of him who sent me .”Jesus

fully understood that He had been sent from the Father to accomplish the will and work of the Father.

The word accomplish means that Jesus will complete the work.

He will finish the work.

He will thoroughly, entirely, and perfectly fulfill the the work of the Father.

What was that work?

Namely, it was the work of redemption. of Reconciliation.

Of atonement.

Certainly, that involved His ministry of teaching and miracles to identify Him as the Messiah.

But the finished work was to be on the cross.

That through His death and resurrection Jesus was completing the will of God by accomplishing the work in the place of sinners.

Jesus accomplished the work that no sinner could ever accomplish.

Jesus satisfied the wrath of God against the sin of His people.

As II Corinthians 5:21 tells us…

After clearing up what it is that gives Him true satisfaction... Jesus goes on to instruct His disciples in the ways of the harvest.

And so it is from His teaching we glean two major harvesting principles.

First…

Be ready to reap and rejoice...

Ready: In Verse 35 Jesus asked His disciples a question.

“Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months until the harvest?”

Jesus is saying, You think the time for harvest is not right.

You think the fields are not ripe.

With a 4 month germination period, it would seem ridiculous to try to harvest grain that is only planted yesterday.

But Jesus is speaking of a different harvest.

He says look, lift up your eyes, pay attention boys… see that the fields are white for harvest.

If the grain fields are white.. then it’s time to get busy harvesting because the grain will soon fall to the ground and perish if not gathered.

Notice the context here, because while they were talking, the Samaritan woman had been witnessing.

No doubt, if the disciples would look up from the town they had just returned from they would see many Samaritans coming out of the town.

The disciples were proving to have blurry vision.

They were not ready for the harvest because they did not notice that it was ripe before them.

They had purchased physical food from these people who were coming out the receive spiritual food.

Church, we need to be ready to accomplish the work of God because it is time for the harvest.

This was true for Jesus disciples, and it has been true of the church for the last 2000 years.

The time is now to proclaim the gospel.

The season is upon us to fulfill the work of extending the gospel to the ends of the earth.

There will be a time when our work is done.

When Christ returns for his church.

But now, we must be ready to work.

It is very easy for us to yield to the temptation of being satisfied with a different kind of food than doing the will and work of our Father.

Often, we are more than ready and willing to give ourselves to the hard work of the American dream.

We are ready to fill up our lives with the unsatisfying rewards of temporary accomplishments.

Are we poised with readiness to accomplish the work of an eternal harvest?

Listen to the words of this hymn....”

Work for the night is coming

Work thro' the sunny noon

Fill brightest hours with labor

Rest comes sure and soon

Give every flying minute

Something to keep in store

Work for the night is coming

When man works no more

Keep in mind, Christians do not work in order to be made righteous.

No, rather we work and accomplish the will of our Father because He has declared us righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.

We have works to accomplish that He has prepared for us before He prepared the foundations of the world.

Ephesians 2:10

Is there something hindering your vision today?

Are you lifting your eyes and seeing the ripened fields before you.

Do we look at the people that God has placed in our lives with contempt and disdain?

Do we see them as merely tools to get where you want to be.

As a step to bring you satisfaction and fulfillment.

Or as a piece of ripened grain that might be harvested for the glory of God.

Fellow laborers, we cannot yield to the temptation of, “It’s not the right time.” or.. someday Ill get to it.

Maybe when I have more time.

Maybe when I retire.

No, the time is now.

Church, we must see the people in our lives not a project that we might get around to one of these days, but as a ripened piece of grain that if not harvested will perish for eternity.

God help us to be going to the harvest fields that He has placed us in with readiness.

Transition: We must be ready to reap.

Reaping: Notice in verse 36 that Jesus says, “Already, the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life.”

Jesus is teaching His disciples that the real blessing and payoff of accomplishing the will of God is to gather the fruit of eternal life.

Church, one of our great problems is that we often forget or perhaps never fully understood that our salvation in Christ is not for the simple purpose of individual reward.

No, we are saved and then sent into the harvest field for the glory of God.

We belong to God through faith in Christ so that we might accomplish His will, His desires, His work.... not so for our own personal individual goals and aspirations.

Being a harvester for Christ means that we have a different kind of reward.

The wages we receive as those who sow and reap, is the fruit of eternal life.

Romans 6:20-23 help us better understand what this means.

The great reward of our reaping is not to show how great we are at evangelism.

It is not to put another notch on our Christian gospel gun.

It is to gather the fruit of eternal life.

Which means that we have been granted the great joy of seeing those who we share the gospel move from death to life.

Transform from those remaining in the condemnation of eternal death, to being made alive in Christ and given the gift of eternal life.

In doing so we gain the fruit of sanctification, further growth in the grace of God, further maturity in the glory of God, which culminates in our own eternal life.

Transition: We must be ready to reap and… rejoice together.