Harvest

Welcome to CCC. So good to see you all here this morning. It is a joy to also have our online crowd joining us on our website. Hard to believe we are almost through January. I want to take a minute to remind you about our fellowship dinner tonight at 6 pm followed by our worship night. Theme is Mexican. Please make plans to join us. The game will happen with or without you so you might as well come out and eat some great food have even better fellowship and enjoy worshipping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as a family!

Lets Pray

Start OBS

This morning we wrap up our Rooted Grow Deep Live Strong series with the message Harvest. We have looked at Planted, where the gospel seed was planted in our lives and how we are called to plant that gospel seed in the lives of everyone we come in contact with.

We looked at Grow, how only God grows us as Christians. We looked at the process of growth and how we are called to grow in Christ

We looked last week at Prune the process by which God removes the dead weight, all the stuff that is in the way of the Spirit producing fruit through us.

Today we look at Harvest. You and I are called be be laborers because the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

Matthew 9:35-38

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“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

There is so much going on in this short section of scripture and I want to tackle as much of it as I can this morning.

I want to look at this from two major angles or views

1st Whose harvest is it and Jesus’ actions in regards to the harvest

and 2nd application, what can we glean from it, how should we react to this scripture

It is God’s Harvest Not Ours

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We are going to start at the last part of the scripture, “the Lord of the harvest...”

The harvest belongs to God.

This is no different than the growth process. Only God grows us as Christians and only God truly harvests. He allows us to be laborers in the harvest but the true harvest is His

You and I, as much as we would like to, can’t save anyone

You and I also can’t stop someone from being saved because that is between them and God.

One is awakened to the need for Jesus and salvation by the Holy Spirit. You and I can’t stop the Holy Spirit and we can’t do the work of the Holy Spirit.

Only God saves through Jesus Christ period end of story

However He does allow us to work in the harvest process.

Jesus shows us what that work looks like here in this section of scripture and elsewhere. I want to look at what Jesus did here

Jesus Went To The Lost

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Look at vs 35 “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages.....”

Jesus went to the lost. Went throughout their cities and villages.

He didn’t just set up shop in the church and make a facebook event inviting people to come and worship or meet Jesus.......now there is nothing wrong with that unless that is all you do and then check the box of reaching out to the lost

Jesus sought out the lost

Jesus went where they were

Time and time again in the gospels we see Jesus encountering the lost, not in the church, but in the street

Now there is a real need for street ministry here in Nevada Mo and God has some people already out doing that. He may be calling you to the street to minister and if so Praise God but today it is not just about the street

There are just as many lost folk at your work place or walmart or the ballgame as there are on the street

Go where they are, live your life in a way that points to Jesus.

Don’t shy away from conversations

Don’t shy away from sharing your testimony

Don’t shy away from giving God credit when you see His fingerprints in a situation

Minister where you are, put a dent where you are sent

So many times we miss opportunities because we are not focused on Jesus.

God is telling us there are so many people out there ready to give their lives to Jesus but so few to share Jesus with them

Jesus Taught Those He Found

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Look at what Jesus did when He found the lost.....teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom

He proclaimed the Gospel.

When was the last time you truly proclaimed the Gospel outside of these walls

When was the last time you were talking with a friend or someone at walmart and they are telling you all their problems and you have the answer but don’t share the gospel with them

Every conversation should include Jesus and the Gospel.

Now pastor Josh you want me to get fired. No I do not but there are ways to share the Gospel without getting fired.

I have worked in education for the past 11 1/2 years and have preached many sermons I just didn’t include the actual addresses.

Sharing the Gospel is so much more than words. You want to share scripture with people but a lot of the time you share that scripture in the way that you act

react

speak

think

respond

treat people

Do you treat the janitor the same as the CEO? If not shame on you as God calls us to not be a respecter of persons, to not favor the rich over the poor

Love them all the same and treat them all the same

I guarantee you at some point someone will ask why and you can share scripture then

Jesus Met Physical Needs

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In addition to teaching and proclaiming the Gospel he healed every disease and every affliction

Now before we go much further this is not a message about healing. I do believe that God is still in the healing business. I also believe that God may choose to heal someone by having His children lay hands on them and praying for them

God is God and He can heal anyway He wants to heal. You have the same Holy Spirit that healed then so yes if God wants to heal through you He can do that.

There is a saying in education that you will never get them to learn until you make them feel secure.

I don’t know about you but I have never truly had to worry about where my next meal was coming from

I have never been insecure about food.

I have been really hungry and that dominated my thinking so if someone is hungry and insecure about where food will come from you can’t teach them until you meet that need.

Sometimes the most impactful thing a teacher or administrator does is meet a physical need so that child can then learn.

Same here. So many times we want to hit them with the Word of God, which is awesome but until they have some basic needs met it will fall on deaf ears.

If I don’t know where my kids will lay their heads or get their next meal I am not worried about anything else until that is fixed.

Do people take advantage of churches well actually no, they take advantage of God

How can someone take advantage of a church when a church doesn’t own anything

All that we have, you me this church is a gift from God not my words God’s words

James 1:17

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“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

We saw last week where Jesus said in John 15 that apart from Him you and I can do nothing so how could someone take advantage of us

They are really taking advantage of God and I would venture to guess God can and will handle that

Our job is to listen to God and if God says help we help period end of story

Now we help in a positive way, I will not, none of your elders, none of the benevolence team would hand out cash…that is more than likely enabling them to continue in sin

No we meet the actual need. They need a bill paid we pay the bill

They need groceries we give them a grocery card or go get the groceries

They need clothes we get them clothes

meet the need dont judge the motives or reactions

That is God’s job not ours!!!!!

Why? WHy Did Jesus go around teaching and healing and meeting needs?

Jesus Had Compassion On The Lost

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vs 36 When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd

He had compassion, not because they had a need that needed met or a disease that needed healed but because they were lost

Jesus could care less about the physical world. He cared about the spiritual world. He cared about their spiritual health, He understood meeting the physical need could open the door to the spiritual

God asked me this question and I didn’t like the answer I had to give Him

When was the last time you truly had compassion for someone because they were lost?

We feel bad for someone, have compassion for them when they are sick or hurt or lose a loved one but when was the last time you truly had compassion for someone because they were lost?

When was the last time you moved out of compassion, you saw a need, you felt compassion that they were lost and you met the need?

That should happen every day. Out of compassion for the lost you should at a minimum pray for them and if moved by the Spirit to help you help

That is why Children’s Sunday School is starting back up next Sunday at 9:30 am because we have compassion on the children and want them to know about Jesus

Finally

Jesus Prayed For Workers

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Jesus knew the harvest was plentiful but there needed to be more workers.

Not only did Jesus pray but he asked his closest guys to pray with Him

When was the last time God laid a need on your heart and you just started praying and then it ate at you so much you had to go get reinforcements to pray with you?

Pray for the lost, pray for God to send workers to labor in the harvest!

What does all this mean? What application should we take away from this scripture

We Must Have Compassion For The Lost

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We must have compassion not

Anger

Judgement

Resentment

hatred

No compassion

Love them and their spiritual condition more than your comfort or tolerance

If we are honest with ourselves one reason we don’t have compassion on the lost is the lost act like they are lost

They say mean things

They do bad things

They take advantage of us

They steal from us

They Do drugs

They lie to us

They do and say horrible things on social media

They are lost.

They will live like they are lost

They will think like they are lost

They will behave like they are lost

Instead of that making you and I angry it should make us compassionate.

Not compassionate for the things they do or say but compassionate for them because they are lost and if they died while they were lost they would go to hell.

That is the lost what about the saved?

Same thing applies to them as well.

Just because someone is saved doesn’t mean they won’t sin and that they won’t sin against you

No, we all have sinful natures

We were born with sinful natures

That sin requires death

Jesus paid our price

But we still sin

We should hold each other accountable, rebuke

We should expect more of each other because we have Christ and Holy Spirit living inside of us

When someone sins against us, we must have compassion and forgiveness in our hearts

Here is the thing with us as humans. We live in a fallen, sinful ,evil world and even though we are no longer of that world we still live in that world

We all choose sin at different times in our lives

We all also have free will so we have the will to believe things and say things and do things that are unbiblical.

I mentioned this earlier but wanted to touch on it again.

This evening could be something you have to choose compassion in dealing with friends and family

We are having our monthly fellowship dinner and worship night because it is the last Sunday in January.

There is also a football game with a local professional team this evening

Now I am not saying it is a sin for everyone who stays home to watch the game instead of come to church but for some it is a sin.

How do you know if it is a sin, If God is calling you to attend the dinner and worship night and you do not it is a sin

If you choose the game over God then that game is an idol and therefore sin

This is a between you and God thing here. Here is the thing with between you and God, we want to tell others what we think God is telling them

Have compassion and trust they have prayed about where to be tonight and leave it there.

I also get to many these games and such are about family and spending time with family and friends but again it comes down to a heart issue

I love my family dearly but they can’t save me

They can’t grow me

They can’t do anything for me spiritually

That is between me and God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit

My opinion and the calling laid on my heart is that God is way more important than any game

You guys are way more important than any game

There is no other place I would rather be tonight than enjoying fellowship and worshipping with you tonight

That is me, that may not be you so I will choose compassion

Here is the deal with compassion

You must love them and their spiritual condition more than your comfort or tolerance level.

Go Where They Are

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Jesus went were the lost were and so must we

This is not in the comfort of our own homes

Not the comfort of the pew

No we are to go to the lost

We are to take them the gospel

It may be in your home

It may be in your pew

It may be at your work

It may be at walmart

It may be on the streets

It may be in the schools

Wherever you are proclaim and teach the Gospel!

Micheal is praying and working hard to rethink and design our van ministry to do just that, go where they are and get them, bring them into the house of the Lord to have people who out of compassion want to proclaim and teach them the Gospel!

Teach The Gospel

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This must be the center of all that you do or say

I, and God, are serious about this. Everything you say or do must be done to bring God glory and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.

That doesn’t mean you go around quoting scriptures, it may mean that but it means that you live the Gospel

You make all of your decision based upon the Gospel

You allow the Gospel to change you and make you okay giving up worldly things for spiritual things

You are the sermon

You are the teaching

What are you preaching and teaching?

Meet Physical Needs

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There are no shortage of physical needs to be met and that is right outside our door

Times are hard

Priorities are jacked up

In many homes there are kids trying to raise adults

In many homes there are people just trying to survive

Our job is not to determine why they are there but to have compassion and to meet their needs physically so we can minister to their needs spiritually

Now with this, and our benevolence team does a great job with this

Meeting physical needs is always all about the Holy Spirit.

There are people looking to take advantage of Christians and churches but that is not up to us to decide that is between them and God

God will through the Holy Spirit tell us to say no, sometimes not meeting the physical need is the best thing for them and only God knows that

If the Holy Spirit is not telling you no then meet the need

If someone is hungry feed them

If someone is thirsty give them something to drink

If someone is naked give them clothes

Meet their needs physically so you can minister to them spiritually!

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few

Where are you this morning?

Are you a part of the harvest? You have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

You have never been buried and risen to new life with Him in Baptism

You are lost and going to hell

That can all change here this morning

Come

Are you already in the harvest field laboring away for the Father? Praise God for you!

Maybe you realize you are being called to be a laborer for the Lord of the harvest and you are standing by the harvest field watching

Today is the day you enter the field to labor. Come give whatever is standing between you and God to Him this morning and start living for Him, start living from Jesus and start laboring in the harvest field serving the Lord of the harvest!

Or sit here through the song, continue to ignore (which also means reject) Jesus and the calling He is laying on your heart this morning

The choice is yours

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few!

Come.