He has done his job, how about us?
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35 Jesus continued going around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness.
36 When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.
38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”
Summer Theme. Great Commission Summer
Evangelism Conference Self Evaluation.
Outreach: Is our church a luxury home, or a hospital.
Introduction:
Introduction:
19 He said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name ‘the Lord’ before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
18 Therefore the Lord is waiting to show you mercy, and is rising up to show you compassion, for the Lord is a just God. All who wait patiently for him are happy.
10 They will not hunger or thirst, the scorching heat or sun will not strike them; for their compassionate one will guide them, and lead them to springs.
13 Shout for joy, you heavens! Earth, rejoice! Mountains break into joyful shouts! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.
What consistent Characteristic of the Lord do you see in all of these OT scripture?
- “Our Lord is a Compassionate God”
Definition-OT understanding of “Compassion”-To Love Deeply and to show tender affection(Like a Father or Mother has for the children or Grandparents have towards their grandchildren.
-Many Liberal Scholars have tried to force a false dichotomy or a comparison between the OT God and the NT God. In the OT they see a wrathful beast but in the NT they see a kind benevolent God. But clearly from all these scripture what we see is consistency in character from the OT to the NT.
Then
-In Chapter 9 Jesus is solidifying his ministry. He is teaching, healing, ministering, and disciplining. Notice his activities in chapter 9 alone:
He heals a paralytic man
1 So he got into a boat, crossed over, and came to his own town.
2 Just then some men brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.”
3 At this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “He’s blaspheming!”
4 Perceiving their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?
5 For which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then he told the paralytic, “Get up, take your stretcher, and go home.”
He does some evangelism & relationship building among sick sinners
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him.
10 While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples.
11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 Now when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick.
13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
He does some corrective teaching about fasting
14 Then John’s disciples came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”
15 Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests be sad while the groom is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
16 No one patches an old garment with unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment and makes the tear worse.
17 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
He ministers to the spiritually oppressed
32 Just as they were going out, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to him.
33 When the demon had been driven out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”
34 But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.”
-Whew!!!!! Just in one chapter. Jesus is all over the place doing ministry. “Well that’s Jesus, he was God! I can’t do all of that!”
1 Summoning his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness.
-Jesus has given us the tools and the power to complete that mission that he has for us. NO EXCUSES!
There is one scripture I want to point out in this chapter to hang our hat on:
13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
(v.13) We might say this is the theme of this chapter and the overall narrative of the NT.
Jesus understood traditions and values but the heart of his ministry revolved around extending his grace to underserving people.
Look at who he is dealing with in the NT.
33 When the demon had been driven out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”
(v.33) “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel” the power, the healings, and the blessing has the people in AWE. But I believe one of the primary reason for their AWE is who Jesus is doing for. In this chapter alone you have: A paralytic, a tax collector, a synagogue official, an unclean woman, two blind men, and a demon possessed man. All of these individuals besides the synagogue official would have been considered unclean.
-Jesus is doing his ministry among people who were outcast in this society.
-You will notice that Jesus showed compassion in a multitude of ways: Healing disease, Ministering to the Spiritual Oppressed, Discipling a Tax collector, and doing some corrective teaching for the confused.
-Compassion is far more than just giving money. It involves getting in someone’s life. It involves praying, ministering, discipling, helping, encouraging, confronting if needs be.
If someone is lost and is going the wrong direction and you know their final destination “What is the most compassionate thing that you could do for them?” correct their direction!!!!
If someone is lost and is going the wrong direction and you know their final destination “What is the most compassionate thing that you could do for them?” correct their direction!!!!
Always
-Too much is at stake to allow confusion, strife, fear and traditions to keep us from sharing the good news, people are on hospital beds dying.
I. The Mission of the Master
I. The Mission of the Master
35 Jesus continued going around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness.
(v.35) You will notice that Jesus had a message that crossed social-economic barriers. Jesus moved about within the cities and the villages. At the beginning of this chapter in (v.1) you will notice that he is doing ministry in his own hometown of Nazareth the hood. Jesus did not do any demographic studies, or race studies to determine who he would minister to. He just went to work. That is not to say these studies are not valuable. But ultimately if you do not have heart to reach people that exist outside of your own comfort level those statistics won’t matter.
(v.35) “teaching in their synagogues” Jesus went to where the lost were, and he reasoned(apologia) from the OT text. He understood the language of the lost. I can hear him preaching right now right from the book of Isaiah and going over all those rich scriptures that point to him as the Messiah…..Isaiah 9:6 “Wonderful, mighty God, everlasting Father, prince of peace” Can you hear him? Micah 5:2 “2“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.
-(v.35) “and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom” Jesus message involved the fulfillment and eradication of the Old Covenant and the introduction of the New Covenant and teaching them truths about the Eternal Kingdom. Our role as NT preachers is to use the OT to point us to a NT Christ. One needs only to take a surface level look at the OT and you will see Christ woven throughout the whole OT.
-(v.35) “and healing all sickness diseases” This ministry right here was to authenticate his rightful place as the “Anointed One” Matthew is harkening back to a passage in IS. Isaiah 53:5 “5But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed Jesus did not heal people just for the purpose of making them better. His primary objective in healing was to point the people to who he was. His secondary objective was to meet a human need.
Application
1. We have a major problem in the world and that is Spiritual Sickness; Jesus tackled that problem with one solution.
a. Teaching & Proclaiming the Word and
b. ministering to the needs of folks.
Let’s stop being cute, and trying all these alternative methods to growing our churches. Preach the Word & Love the People.
Illustration: Going to New Hope
Transition Statement
-Although our Lord was very diligent and focused about completing the task of the Atonement, he did not forget the human need of people.
II. The Mindset of the Master
II. The Mindset of the Master
36 When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.
36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
(v.36) “But when he saw the multitudes” Jesus was so focused on ministry that he had not taken a look at the crowd.
(v.36) “Seeing the people” Jesus was keenly aware of the condition of the body, because he is always examining the body. Jesus was never too busy to notice the sheep. What was his attitude towards the sheep?
(v.36) “He felt compassion for them” compassion means: pity: Compassion involves so identifying with the situation of others that one is prepared to act for their benefit…. Commentary on the Greek NT
-This word for Compassion is used only in MT, MK, and LK 12x:
14 When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd, had compassion on them, and healed their sick.
32 Jesus called his disciples and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with me three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, otherwise they might collapse on the way.”
“I feel compassion for the people” What a powerful statement. This tells us that our Lord attuned to the needs of people specifically his own people.
36 When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.
a. distressed-faint or tired-the tiredness that comes from looking for a parent (anxious, fearful).
b. dispirited-tore down-this is related to being harassed and abused while looking for that parent.
-Jesus heart is heavy because these people are following him like child looking for their parents in a war zone.
-This was a direct rebuke to the Religious leaders who were supposed to be their shepherds, but they were more concerned about maintaining their position in society, than shepherding the people. They used the people to advance their agenda.
Application
1. As Christian we should always be examining the body to determine the health of the member, and the health of the visitor. We need God to “Give us eyes to see spiritual pain”
2. We are shepherd’s and sheep, not politicians, CEO’s, or motivational speakers. Shepherds’ primary responsibilities is to lead the sheep to green pastures. Greener pastures represent better situations.
3. If our Lord’ was moved by his compassion, we ought to be so tied to the people that we are moved to do something about their distress.
Transition Statement
Jesus compassion led him to action, not apathy….Don’t tell people you care and then don’t do anything about it. This led to a Mandate by Jesus to pray!!!
III. The Mandate of the Master
III. The Mandate of the Master
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.
38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”
(v.37) “Then He said to His disciples, “the Harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” Jesus gives them the good news, then he gives them the bad news.
-“The Harvest is plentiful” Jesus is telling them that the HS has done his job.
8 When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment:
-the HS “Came to convict the world of sin” this assures us that no matter how bad the world has gotten the HS has done the heart work on those that will come to know Jesus for the pardon of their sins.
-Essentially Jesus is saying while these religious leaders are worried about me “eating plucked grain from the field” the Harvest is ready to be collected.
-Tell me what you would rather be know for:
a. The color of the carpet in the church lobby
b. or that 20 people who currently in the church came as a result of your reaching out to them, and that they have crossed from death over to life because of your diligence.
-“but the workers are few” Jesus says I am looking for a few good people, because the men that are supposed to be leading (the scribes, Pharisees, and teachers of the Law) are more worried about power, and control than the Harvest. The Pharisees had a different agenda than our Lord.
(v.38) This verse is not part of the narrative. This is Matthew teaching a principle to conclude this portion of the text. Expanding God kingdom is not done with gimmick programs. It is done through primarily through the power of prayer.
(v.38) Therefore “beseech the Lord of the harvest” Jesus tells his disciples to start praying for Pastor, teachers, and evangelist and the saints to step up and go into the harvest to collect the wheat already sown by the Lord. That’s the mandate of Jesus, that we ought to pray for workers to go to the field. While we are waiting for those workers to come the workers that are here are supposed to work the fields until the other one’s come. We don’t wait for the workers before he harvest the field. “he that is faithful with few will also be faithful with many”
Conclusion
1. It starts with us Men….Leading, shepherding, loving the body, reaching out to the lost.
2. The Mature are to Model going out into the field so that the immature have an example to follow
3. Let us not allow jealousy, confusion, nor the thirst for power to infiltrate our ranks. There are too many souls at stake!!
When I thought God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I smote upon my breast to think that I could ever have rebelled against One who loved me so, and sought my good.
Charles Spurgeon