Connecting People With Jesus

Introduction

Refocus stuff- we’ve been working on this behind the scenes since January and we are ready to bring some recommendations and some ideas forward.

Over the next 5 weeks, we are going to walk through our 3 main recommendations- a new mission statement, a new vision statement and 3 core values that accurately reflect WHERE WE ARE and WHERE WE WANT TO GO!

Emphasize that the refocus team helped make discoveries and advised, but that any proposals we are making are coming through the right channels. Nothing is being done behind anyone’s backs. And over today and the next 4 Sundays I am going to preach through the 5 things we need to move forward with after months of prayer, discussion and tweaking. These are full of heart.

All of these are grounded deeply in God’s WORD and are things that we are already passionate about.

But, we want to take this chance to formally adopt these. I feel that it’s important to preach through these and make sure that we all start from the same place.

Main Point: To connect people with Jesus we have to meet people where they are, see people for who they are, and have compassion for them!

Body

Today we are going to be diving into Matthew 9:35-38 together. This is one of my favorite passages that gives us a commission as believers.

I think that in Matthew 9:35-38 we see such a CLEAR example of JESUS’S heart!

It really humbles me!

So let me give a little context on Matthew 9.

At the very beginning of Matthew 9, Jesus heals the paralyzed man who is lowered through the roof by his friends!

This takes place in Capernaum which was a town of about 1500.

Jesus used Capernaum as the “center” for His earthly ministry. Jesus is traveling around the area around Capernaum and during this time, he actually calls Matthew to follow Him, He casts out Demons, He heals people and He is WITH people!

This is one of the more famous stretches of Jesus’s ministry.

And verses 35-38 show us a little bit of a transition in His ministry. verse 35 shows us something SUPER IMPORTANT ABOUT JESUS’S MINISTRY!

Matthew 9:35 CSB

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.

There’s something really important going on here- JESUS IS WITH THE PEOPLE!

He travels to the TOWNS AND THE VILLAGES.

AND THEN, WHEN HE IS THERE, HE TEACHES, PREACHES AND HEALS!

Jesus was WITH THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL!

He didn’t just wait for people to come to Him, JESUS WENT TO THE THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL!

Let me make a contrast here- John the Baptist came to prepare the way, but for most of his ministry, he stayed in the wilderness and people came to him.

That’s what God called him to do!

Jesus on the other hand WENT TO THE PEOPLE!

He met them where they were physically, and he also met them SPIRITUALLY!

I want to challenge us today as we walk through this passage that the model of ministry that Jesus uses here should be our MODEL ALSO!

We need to GO TO WHERE PEOPLE ARE! We need to be WITH people WHERE THEY ARE!

In their physical locations, but also in their wins and their losses; in good times and in the hardest of times!

So we’ve established- Jesus is WITH THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL!

But what does HE do?

Jesus teaches in the Synagogue laying out the truth of the OT and how there is a promised and coming savior!

Jesus preaches to the people about the GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM- which is HEAVEN!

Jesus PREACHES SALVATION!

It’s a message similar to what we find in John 14:6

John 14:6 CSB

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Hear me on this- JESUS PREACHES! Jesus tells people the TRUTH!

He tells them HOW TO BE SAVED and THAT THEY NEED TO BE SAVED!

Sometimes we are too quick as Christians to remove this aspect of Jesus’s ministry. It’s easy to think of Jesus healing everyone, but sometimes we don’t think about how JESUS TEACHES, PREACHES AND POINTS PEOPLE TO GOD!

Can I also just challenge us against this notion that we can do evangelism without words? JESUS HIMSELF USED HIS WORDS TO LEAD PEOPLE TO SALVATION! By definition, we aren’t getting the job done with NO WORDS!

But that isn’t all that Jesus does!

Jesus also HEALS EVERY DISEASE AND EVERY SICKNESS! Those aren’t my words, those are Matthew’s words!

Think about this! This is JESUS, THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE, THE WORD IN THE FLESH, SAVIOR OF ALL, TAKING THE TIME TO CARE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL!

And that’s a huge thing! Jesus KNOWS EACH OF US AND CARES FOR EACH OF US AS INDIVIDUALS!

Jesus wasn’t charging these people or only helping the influential, JESUS CARED FOR EACH AND EVERY PERSON!

And let me make this point really clear. There’s a really deep reason for this.

In Psalm 139 we see that God has intricately designed each of us.

But go back even further with me to Genesis 1:31 on the 6th day of creation right after God made man and woman!

Genesis 1:31 CSB

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.

What does God say about our CREATION?

God says that we are very good!

And JESUS shows us the value that God gives us when HE stops and heals people!

Point Application- verse 35:

Let me just quickly apply something from verse 35 to us.

It may not always be comfortable, but as Christians, we are called to MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE JUST LIKE JESUS DID

And listen, our job when we meet people in their hardship isn’t to fix it. Do you know what it is?

It’s to point them to Jesus! It’s to CONNECT THEM TO JESUS!

And that means that we use our care AND OUR WORDS to point people to the TRUTH- that they are made in God’s IMAGE, that they are LOVED BY GOD AND that they NEED TO BE SAVED!

Verse 36

Matthew 9:36 CSB

36 When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.

Look at what Jesus’s response to the CROWDS!

HE SEES THEM AND HE FEELS COMPASSION FOR THEM!

Jesus ACTIVELY SEES THEM- He is PAYING ATTENTION to them and it LEADS HIM TO A RESPONSE- COMPASSION!

I promise, if we SEE the people around us, we will be led to a RESPONSE- COMPASSION! We will see how badly our neighbors, our friends, our coworkers, EVEN OUR FAMILIES, NEED JESUS!

Let’s actually talk about the word that we translate compassion.

The word is SPLANCHNIZOMAI.

It literally refers to being filled with compassion that comes up from your BOWELS!

It’s an idiom meaning that JESUS’S WHOLE BEING, HIS WHOLE HEART FELT COMPASSION!

And Matthew explains more of this in his next phrase.

Jesus sees the crowds and he says that they are distressed and dejected and like sheep without a shepherd.

Distressed and dejected can also be translated as Weary, annoyed and defeated!

Why are they feeling this way?

They are weary, annoyed and defeated because they are searching anywhere for salvation and they cannot find the answers!

They are being taught absolute garbage by the pharisees, the sadducees and the scribes and guess what?

THEY ARE TIRED OF IT!

And these people were never going to find the solution without JESUS!

And can I level with you? Even though this is Matthew’s description of the crowd at Capernaum, you could use it to describe our society today!

I’m just going to level with you- our society is searching for answers and they are searching for things that they can PASSIONATELY CARE ABOUT! I heard it said well- Gen-Z is a generation looking for causes. And guess what? WE HAVE THE GREATEST CAUSE EVER!

And even beyond Gen-Z, each and every generation is tired and frustrated. We see it in our society! Ideas change every 5 minutes because people are WEARY AND THEY ARE DEJECTED! THEY ARE DEFEATED!

There’s a lot of similarities between these crowds Jesus works in and OUR SOCIETY, including our NEIGHBORHOODS!

Matthew says that they are distressed and dejected- weary, annoyed and defeated. But he also says that Jesus looks at them as SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD!

I have a favorite sheep story that I love to share. I don’t remember how I found out about this, but I think it captures this image well.

On July 8, 2005, there was a flock of 1500 sheep just outside a village in Turkey.

Next to the flock was a cliff with a 50 foot fall.

Maybe you can see where this is going.

The shepherds weren’t paying enough attention and a sheep- called the lead sheep- walked off the cliff.

Then, the second sheep, then a third, then 1500 sheep!

Over 400 sheep died that day and there was a lot of damage to other sheep.

That’s sheep without a shepherd!

Sheep will literally walk off a cliff, or refuse to eat or drink if they don’t have a shepherd to point them to where they need to go!

Jesus sees the crowd and that’s what they remind Him of.

They are liable to run off a cliff into sin, to not rest and to consume NO SPIRITUAL food unless someone brings them to it.

Verse 36 Application

And that’s our world!

Our world is like sheep without a shepherd!

Our world is liable to run off a cliff into sin and our world is liable to live life with no actual rest!

Guys, our world is lost and they need something!

Our world needs to HAVE JESUS!

And can I be honest with you? We have to bring it to our WORLD! And we have to bring JESUS WITH COMPASSION!

See, if we want people to connect with Jesus, we have to REFLECT JESUS! And that includes having COMPASSION FOR THEIR LOSTNESS!

Listen- compassion doesn’t mean that you see sin and say, “That’s so wonderful!” Compassion doesn’t mean that you VALIDATE EVERYTHING! But, compassion does mean that you CARE ABOUT THEM AS A PERSON!

Compassion means that WE see the people around us as GOD sees them! As SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD, as people who are MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE AND PEOPLE THAT GOD CALLED VERY GOOD INDEED IN GENESIS 1:31!

So understand- Jesus’s compassion isn’t just a fact; it’s a challenge to us to have compassion on the people around us!

Because at the end of the day, if JESUS DID NOT HAVE COMPASSION ON US to COME TO EARTH AND DIE FOR US, then WHERE WOULD WE BE?

I can tell you- the Christian reality is black and white. Either you are saved and you go to heaven, or you are not and you go to hell.

So if Jesus had not come as our SACRIFICE; as our SUBSTITUTE, then we would spend eternity separated from God!

GOSPEL! 1 John 5:11-12- THIS LIFE COMES ONLY THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS! THE LIFE THAT JESUS CAME TO GIVE CAN ONLY COME THROUGH FAITH IN HIM!

1 John 5:11–12 CSB

11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Verse 37-38

So we know that Jesus is WITH THE PEOPLE and that Jesus has DEEP COMPASSION for them, but that’s not all.

Jesus doesn’t just see these people, JESUS DOES SOMETHING!

Matthew 9:37–38 CSB

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.”

Jesus looks at the disciples after seeing this and gives them an instruction.

Jesus says, “THE HARVEST IS ABUNDANT, BUT THE WORKERS ARE FEW. THEREFORE, PRAY TO THE LORD OF THE HARVEST TO SEND OUT WORKERS INTO HIS HARVEST.”

Let’s talk about this.

The harvest that Jesus is referring to here is a spiritual harvest. Jesus is saying that many NEED TO KNOW HIM!

THERE IS A HUGE HARVEST of people who need to know Jesus!

But there’s a problem.

The workers are few.

The word ἐργάται is used here. It means worker, but the other translation of it is “DOER.”

Literally, someone who DOES WHAT IS NEEDED!

“The harvest is abundant, but the DOERS, those who will DO THE HARVESTING, are few!”

And let me tell you something- that shortage hasn’t stopped.

There was a shortage at the time of Matthew 9 for people who were willing to go into the harvest and there’s a shortage of people willing to go today!

This is a problem that we have to wrestle with!

The harvest all around us is plentiful but where are the workers to go into the harvest?

Well, don’t worry, we’ll talk about that.

But let’s first see what Jesus says.

Jesus tells his disciples to do something.

Jesus tells his disciples to pray that the LORD OF THE HARVEST- that is GOD- would send out DOERS into HIS HARVEST!

And guess what?

That’s a prayer that you and I need to pray! We need to pray for the Lord to send out workers into HIS HARVEST!

Look around us! All these houses, all these apartments, they are filled with people who NEED JESUS!

They are the HARVEST! We need to pray for DOERS TO GO OUT!

But let me be honest. This is a dangerous prayer because I can promise that GOD IS GOING TO CALL YOU!

(Illustration about parents?)

Now, there’s something else that we can miss about this passage.

See, it’s easy to talk about praying to be sent out. But do you know what Jesus does next?

He doesn’t form his disciples into prayer teams. No, no, NO! Jesus SENDS THEM OUT!

Jesus sends these disciples to TRAVEL AND TO GO INTO THE HARVESTS!

And Cornerstone Family, that’s what we have to do!

We have to be doers!

We aren’t in the stands cheering on the team, we are on the field!

Or as I once heard a speaker say- as a Christian, you aren’t on a cruise ship; you’re on a battleship! Every single one of us has a role and a job to do!

So hear me- we need to pray that God would send out DOERS! But, we also have to be DOERS OURSELVES! We have to go into the ABUNDANT HARVEST THAT IS ALL AROUND US!

Before we move into a time of application, can I just be really honest about what happens when we aren’t DOERS and when we don’t go into the HARVESTS THAT GOD HAS GIVEN US?

You don’t need to turn with me, but it comes from Revelation 3:14-16. It’s a warning to a church just down the road from Colossae.

Revelation 3:14–16 CSB

14 “Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: Thus says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God’s creation: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.

Guys, this is a warning. And it isn’t just talking about heart attitudes, or not caring.

Look at the wording of verse 15. “I KNOW YOUR WORKS.”

Do you know what Go is referring to with this church?

Do you know what God is referring to with this church?d is referring to THE CHURCH THAT SITS BACK AND JUST DOESN’T CARE!

And Cornerstone, I don’t say this to scare you, or to manipulate you; I just say this to be honest. But, I don’t know about you, but for me, that isn’t what I want.

I don’t want God to VOMIT ME OUT OF HIS MOUTH!

Instead, I’m going to be a DOER who PRAYS AND GOES INTO GOD’S HARVEST!

Application

Today we have three points of application.

1. We have to MEET PEOPLE where they ARE!

2. We have to PRAY FOR the HARVEST!

3. We have to GO INTO the HARVEST!

We have to MEET PEOPLE where they ARE! (BE DOERS)

This is one of the most convicting things to me about this passage. As Christians, we have to live an intentional life where we are paying attention to others!

Why? BECAUSE THAT’S HOW WE MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE!

We can’t just go through the motions or just float through life.

We have to pay attention to the people that God has put around us!

And we need to specifically listen for ANY OPPORTUNITY TO TALK WITH PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS!

Can I tell you what that might be?

It might be that they are having a hard day, a hard week, a hard year. It might be sickness, it might be sorrow, it might be pain, it might be confusion about life direction!

We need to listen for these signs and then we can start a conversation!

And listen, evangelism isn’t weird. So much of meeting people where they are is just TALKING WITH THEM AND BEING THERE FOR THEM!

Our world is hurting and our world is lonely. We can MEET PEOPLE IN THAT!

Can I tell you the other thing that meeting non-believers where they are requires?

It requires that not all of your friends are saved! You need to have relationships with your non-believing neighbors, your non-believing family, your coworkers!

Listen, we need to MEET THE PEOPLE AROUND US WHERE THEY ARE and that requires that we MEET THE PEOPLE AROUND US!

Let me give you a practical thing about this- we have VBS coming up. Do you know what the most effective form of marketing is?

It isn’t facebook, or instagram, or direct mailers. It’s YOU INVITING SOMEONE!

So, MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE, HEAR THEIR BROKENNESS (because in our world, EVERYONE DEALS WITH BROKENNESS) AND USE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THEM ABOUT JESUS!

Meeting people where they are is the FRONT DOOR TO CONNECT THEM TO JESUS!

We have to PRAY FOR the HARVEST! (BE DOERS)

Secondly, we have to pray!

Jesus HIMSELF tells us to pray!

And think about it- PRAYER IS THE FIRST STEP IN EVANGELISM BECAUSE EVANGELISM ISN’T ABOUT OUR PERFECT PRESENTATION, it’s about GOD WORKING!

So we need to be PRAYING FOR THE HARVEST!

Let me give you two practical challenges with this.

First, would you commit to pray EVERY DAY this month for VBS?

as important as everything else is, without prayer, our efforts will be in vain! So be praying for those kids!

Let me use camp as an example here. For months we prayed for that. For months, Churches around Illinois prayed for that camp.

And do you know something? As the dust settles, we’ve learned that through God’s GRACE, 10% of that camp, actually, a little over 10% of the campers there GOT SAVED!

Cornerstone, that’s the power of prayer!

So, let’s pray for the harvest that is VBS!

But let me challenge us to go one step further.

Pray for the harvest around you!

We’ve spent the last few months focusing on our pray 1:08 challenge and we are going to keep it going. But let me encourage you, every day at 1:08, PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU THAT YOU CAN REACH!

Listen, the harvest around you is plentiful! We need to pray for it!

And let me offer- if you don’t know anyone who isn’t saved to pray for, come talk to me and I’ll give you some non-believers to pray for! The harvest is all around us! Let’s PRAY FOR THE HARVEST AND PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WE WANT TO SEE CONNECTED TO JESUS!

We have to GO INTO the HARVEST! (BE DOERS)

(90% of people saved will get saved before they are 30. Two takeaways- we have to reach our community NOW and guess what- there’s still time to reach your neighbors! I get fired up about this and let me tell you why. It’s my friends who aren’t saved! It’s my wife’s friends who aren’t saved. It’s the people we grew up with! This is personal! Evangelism is personal because we DEVELOP A DEEP LOVE FOR PEOPLE AND A DEEP CARE! And when that happens, we hunger and we thirst for opportunities to SHARE THE GOSPEL!)