The Harvest is Plentiful Luke 10:1-24

The Harvest is Plentiful

Can you remember the best teacher you ever had?

It could be a school teacher or a co-worker, or simply a mentor who taught you the ropes and how to live life well.

When I was in Seminary, my favorite professor was Dr. Jim Shaddix.

Dr. Shaddix is an unassuming man.

There’s nothing physically spectacular about him.

He would easily be overlooked in a crowd.

But to me Dr. Shaddix was a rock-star.

He was and is one of the best preachers I’ve ever heard.

I only had Dr. Shaddix for 2 classes and they both had to do with preaching.

One of the courses I had with him was a hybrid course where we spent most of the classroom time online, but there was a weekend that we had to spend in class.

All of the outside class work was leading to this weekend.

We were to prepare and preach 2 sermons.

One from the New Testament and one from the OT.

I was nervous, I hadn’t really ever preached.

However, Dr. Shaddix had prepared us well and we had a good weekend listening to 15 guys preach the word of God was good for my soul.

But Why do I bring up Dr. Shaddix?

Because great teachers force their students to take the knowledge they receive and put it into practice.

Dr. Shaddix could have just had us write out sermons and turn them in for a grade.

But he wanted to us to actually get the feeling of preaching.

He wanted us to take the theoretical and use it in a practical situation.

This is what all great teachers do.

Information is good, but information without application is useless.

And this is something we see the greatest teacher ever do.

Jesus teaches, trains, and equips his disciples so that they can go out and use what he’s given them.

We’ve seen it with the 12 apostles.

And this morning we are going to see it with 72 other disciples of Jesus.

Again we have to remember that Jesus knew his time on earth was limited but the mission needed to keep going.

so he prepared others to carry on with the mission of God even after his departure.

So let’s pray and ask the Lord to reveal his heart to us this morning.

Luke 10:1–9 CSB

1 After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others, and he sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest. 3 Now go; I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Don’t carry a money-bag, traveling bag, or sandals; don’t greet anyone along the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ 6 If a person of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they offer, for the worker is worthy of his wages. Don’t move from house to house. 8 When you enter any town, and they welcome you, eat the things set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are there, and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near you.’

Mission of the Seventy Two

The mission of the 72 closely mirrors that of the mission of the 12 earlier in Luke 9.

But that doesn’t mean that we can’t take anything away from it.

First thing, Jesus sent them in pairs.

Much like with the apostles but why would he send them in pairs.

Ministry work is hard and it’s always good to have someone walk with you.

Having someone walk with you, encourage you and challenge you is a good thing. And is beneficial to the ministry as a whole.

Not only that, but this also had to do with the Jewish understanding of testimony.

A testimony would only be seen as true if it was witnessed by 2 or more men.

So there was a practical reason Jesus sent them out in pairs to make sure that the people hearing them knew that one wasn’t just making something up, but was speaking the truth.

Jesus tells the disciples here that the harvest is abundant.

What does that mean?

That means that there are people out there ready to hear the gospel and respond to the good news of Jesus.

The problem is, the workers are few.

There aren’t enough people to harvest.

There should be an excitement within us that there are those who are going to respond to the gospel of Jesus.

And there should be heartache that there aren’t enough people out there preaching the gospel.

Look, one of the problems within the church is that we fall into the Pareto Rule.

What that means is that 80% of the work gets done by 20% of the people.

This is as true in areas of our church like teaching and serving as it is in evangelism.

If we don’t go out and preach the gospel and tell people about Jesus then we aren’t doing the work that God has called us to.

Honestly, Sunday School, Sunday Morning Worship, Wednesday Night Activities, Monthly Fellowship Lunches.

These are all good things, but they aren’t the main thing.

The main thing is being the church to the community.

Is proclaiming the gospel to the lost.

We have to understand and truly believe that there are those outside of these four walls that are going to die and go to hell if they don’t respond to the gospel message.

And here we read that there are always people out there ready to hear and respond.

There are those out there that are ready to be reaped into the kingdom.

And yet the reason the fields are white with harvest is b/c we aren’t doing our work

So what do we need to do?

What were these 72 supposed to do as they were going out.

They were to be proclaiming the kingdom of God.

But before the work ever gets started they were to pray.

As we have seen before in Luke’s Gospel, prayer is central to God’s work.

Too often we like to skip over the prayer and just get into the work.

I’ve been guilty of that.

But we have to be devoted to communion with God if we want to be inside the will of God.

Prayer will realign our hearts, minds, and mission with what God is doing while we are out doing the work he’s called us to.

And what prayer are they supposed to be praying?

They are to pray for more workers.

Where do the workers come from?

From disciples.

I can guarantee you that for most people that come to church, not just here but all churches, most of us have never shared the gospel with anyone outside of these walls.

That should be shocking to us.

How are people to come and know the goodness, grace, peace, and beauty of Jesus if they are never told?

So we need to pray for more harvesters.

We need to pray that God will make us harvesters.

This week, I want you to go home and pray for the opportunity to share the gospel with one person.

I promise you that if you pray for it, the Lord will send that opportunity your way.

I was at a leadership and pastoral training seminar a couple of weeks ago and one of the things I took away from it was that we can tell the health of a church by who they pray for.

What the speaker was saying is that most of the time when we take prayer requests what’s the number one prayer request?

Usually about someone we know who is sick or dying.

These aren’t bad prayer requests however, they do show a priority within the group that’s gathering.

He suggests that to help us have a more outward focus on our mission as a church, which is the mission of the church is we should be praying more for the lost.

We should devote time each gathering to pray for those who are “close to you-but far from God.”

And in praying for them, we should ask the Lord to give us an opportunity to share the gospel with them.

So this is a practice that I’m going to start initiating in any bible study of mine you come to.

And I would encourage each of you in your private time and in groups to start praying for those far from God.

And let’s not just stop at praying, let’s start sharing the good news.

In preaching and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus, Jesus warns his disciples that they are going to be lambs among wolves.

They will face opposition.

Even though they have the great news of God’s Kingdom some people will be hostile to the gospel.

This mirrors the responses we face today as well.

People will oppose us as we try to tell them about Jesus.

They may call us names, cross the street to avoid us, or even talk bad about us behind out backs.

But just b/c we may face hostility doesn’t give us the right to avoid our responsibility.

Jesus knows that the message of salvation and deliverance feels like poison to some people.

But he doesn’t say tell others about me if all is safe and sound.

Tell others about me as long as you’re comfortable.

Tell others about me when you are convinced they will respond lovingly.

No, the edict by Jesus is to tell people and prepare for rejection and hostility.

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And as if hostility isn’t hard enough when preaching the gospel, Jesus also limits how the 72 are to travel

They aren’t supposed to take the creature comforts with them.

They are to travel light and travel quickly.

Like the 12, The 72 are supposed to trust that The Lord will provide all they need to accomplish their mission.

They are commanded not to seek out better accommodations if they become available.

Rather they are supposed to have a heart of gratitude for all the provision of the Lord as they go out and preach the gospel.

I think these 72 serve as an example for us to follow when it comes to trust in Jesus and the mission of God.

Too often we think the stars need to align for us to share our faith.

That we need all of our ducks in a row and everything needs to be planned out.

Where all we simply need is obedience.

We simply need to trust God to do what he does and do what he has called us to do.

These men were going out with nothing, for no specified time and they were simply to trust for the Lord to provide for them.

So how much do you trust the Lord?

How much do you think that God is going to provide what you need when you proclaim the good news of the gospel?

All God asks for is our obedience and he will provide the rest.

That’s a good and gracious God.

So next time you think of an excuse for not sharing the gospel with someone, think of these guys who had one pair of sandals, no money, and no luggage and yet they left the comfort and security of their homes to go into a hostile environment to share the good news of Jesus.

Then evaluate if what he’s asked you to do is too hard.

Listen the call to preach about the kingdom of God is urgent b/c Judgment is coming.

Now you aren’t responsible for how people respond, you are simply responsible for your obedience.

Look at what Jesus says next.

Luke 10:10–16 CSB

10 When you enter any town, and they don’t welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘We are wiping off even the dust of your town that clings to our feet as a witness against you. Know this for certain: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town. 13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will go down to Hades. 16 Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

Danger of Rejection

Jesus knows that these men are going to face rejection.

He knows that there are going to be people who are hostile and inhospitable to the gospel.

So Jesus tells them go and preach the gospel, but if they don’t respond in faith

Move on, but one last time, let them know that they are bringing judgement down on themselves.

Their rejection of the message of the kingdom is going to be their down fall.

Remember these 72 were going to go proclaim the good news to the Jewish People.

These were God’s chosen people who were to receive Jesus as their savior.

They had all the knowledge.

They were steeped in the scriptures.

They knew about the promises of God.

And Yet they rejected God and his savior.

This is why Jesus tells them that the rejection of him is going to be greater than that of Sodom, Tyre, and Sidon.

These were all cities or areas in the OT that were the pinnacle of evil and enmity with God.

They will be shown more tolerant judgment than the Cities of Bethsaida and Chorazin.

This doesn’t mean that Sodom, Tyre, and Sidon will not receive Judgment, but that the judgment of God’s people who reject his Messiah will be harsher.

This goes to show us a couple of things.

Though all sin deserves death.

Not all sin is Judged equally.

There are harsher judgments for some sins over others.

The consequences of sinful behavior varies depending upon the knowledge, motive, and extent.

Why would these Israelite cities be judged more harshly than Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom?

B/c they simply had more information.

They are judged according to the knowledge they recieved.

Therefore, since these Israelite Cities had knowledge of God.

Knowledge of his plan.

Knowledge of the future.

The fact that they didn’t repent when the time is right will bring harsher Judgement upon them.

The more knowledge they had about God the more accountable they will be.

We even see this in other NT writings.

James tells us that those who teach will be held more accountable and to a higher standard than those who don’t.

The knowledge that one has is proportional to the judgement they will receive.

The difference is between ignorance or willful ignorance.

Here’s a simple way to think about it.

Let’s say my kids have some friends over to play.

Now it is known by my children that they must pick up their room before bed time.

However, this is never communicated to their friends.

When the friends leave and the room is a mess, who is accountable?

Both the friends and my kids, but who am I going to hold to a higher standard?

My kids, why? B/c they Knew what I expected and they didn’t follow through with those expectations.

I know that this example does break down, but the principle is there.

Willfully ignoring what you have been told will always amount to a greater punishment than simply not meeting exceptions.

In fact, Jesus finds the response to his preaching and teaching ridiculous.

If the enemies of God in Tyre and Sidon had witnessed what they witnessed, then they would have repented.

They would have submitted to the Lord and been saved from the Judgement.

Now how are we to think about this?

There are those who go to church week after week and never respond to the gospel.

They have heard stories of God moving in the world but they still don’t believe.

They will be held more accountable and more responsible for what they heard than that person on the other other side of the planet that has never heard the name of Jesus.

This is where we need to come in and have a heart check.

Have we actually repented?

Have we truly given our lives to Jesus?

Are we really going to obey and submit to him or are we just giving him lip service.

Are we simply running around like we are good with God simply b/c we do some things that we should do.

If all you’ve ever done is go to church and do the things that good church people do and you’ve never repented of your sins and trusted in Jesus then you Jesus here is giving you a warning.

That’s the good thing about a “Woe” its like crying out saying you’re going down a dark road and if you don’t turn around you will face Judgment.

But the good thing about a woe, is that there’s still time to repent.

There’s still time to come to Jesus, but there will be a time when that isn’t an option any more.

That’s the urgency of the gospel.

That’s the urgency of following Jesus not tomorrow, not next week, but today.

Don’t waste another minute.

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Now, I’m sure we’ve all been on the receiving side of rejection.

It’s hard. It hurts. And we don’t like it.

But when we preach the gospel, we must expect to face rejection.

Luke 10:16 “16 Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.””

But know that they aren’t rejecting you they are rejecting Jesus.

They are rejecting the goodness of the Father.

They are rejecting salvation, so don’t take it personally.

Remember it’s not about the results you see, it’s about the faithfulness you participate in.

Luke 10:17–20 CSB

17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” 18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 Look, I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing at all will harm you. 20 However, don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Rejoicing of Seventy-Two

The 72 go out on their trip to preach the gospel and then Luke moves right on to their return.

We don’t know how long they’re gone.

but we do see the joy they have on their return.

Why are they rejoicing?

B/c they witnessed the power of God while they were on their mission.

What was the power of God, lives saved and demons conquered.

Here we get a couple of lines from Jesus that are debated by Christians.

The first is about the fall of Satan.

The question that surrounds this is when did Jesus see this fall.

Was it when Satan disobeyed God, was it at the incarnation, when the kingdom of God in Jesus made it’s way to earth.

Or most likely, and I believe this is what it’s in reference to is that while the 72 were out ministering the gospel, that’s when Jesus saw satan fall.

Why do I say that?

The fall doesn’t necessarily have to refer to a single event. This is shown in the Greek were the phrase is “I was seeing” meaning that as the 72 were out, Jesus was seeing the defeat of Satan by the proclamation of the Gospel.

Then we get to the phrase “authority to trample on snakes and scorpions…nothing at all will harm you.”

People have taken this phrase to mean that you can go around snake handling and if you are actually a follower of Jesus you will be safe.

They will be unable to hurt you.

That’s not what Jesus means here.

Snakes and Scorpions are images of evil and satanic activity in the OT.

Jesus is saying that by his name we have authority over the demonic and enemies of God.

Why is that?

B/c God has the power to conquer them and through Jesus we are given access to that same type of power.

And I’ll tell you there is a growing group of Christians in the West that are enamored with the deliverance from demons and overcoming demonic activity.

The problem is that’s the thing that they are most excited about.

And this is what the 72 were most excited about as well.

But Jesus tells them that there is something else that is way more important.

Yes it is awesome to do ministry in the Name of Jesus.

It’s awesome to witness people overcome addiction and submit to Jesus.

It’s great to kill sin and overthrow temptations.

But what deserves the most excitement and Joy is the fact that our names are written in Heaven.

At times, it is easy to get caught up in the things that we do for Jesus that we overlook the basics of our salvation.

but our salvation is something that we should keep running back to.

It doesn’t matter how much ministry you do.

How much money you give.

How much time you spend.

True joy comes from knowing that we belong to God.

That one day when all of our efforts fade.

When all of this is gone.

We will get to enjoy our eternal reward of being in the perfect presence of God.

Now don’t hear me say that we stop rejoicing our wins here on earth.

Or that we should sit on our hands and just wait for the day we enter into glory.

That’s not what I’m saying.

The joy that comes from the victories we see and participate here and now will fade.

But the joy of our eternal destiny should never dwindle.

Our names are written in the book of Life.

They are written in heaven.

Not by our own hands, but by the nail pierced hands of Jesus.

Our name is written in his blood by his grace.

That’s something to get excited about.

That’s something to rejoice in.

And that’s something that Jesus rejoices in too.

Luke 10:21–24 CSB

21 At that time he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure. 22 All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal him.” 23 Then turning to his disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see the things you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see the things you see but didn’t see them; to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them.”

Joy Of Jesus

In this prayer, we see a beautiful picture of the Trinity.

Jesus the son, is rejoicing in the Spirit, while praying to the Father.

And what is Jesus rejoicing in?

He’s rejoicing in the revelation of God’s work.

He has revealed himself not to the overly educated and elites.

He has revealed himself to the simple and humble.

We see here that God’s sovereign hand is the guiding light that leads people to know and love him.

God didn’t seek out the wise and learned to reveal himself.

He sought out those who were humble.

This is not meant to tell us that those who are intelligent can’t believe the gospel.

However, it is more difficult for some of them b/c they trust in their own reasoning.

They trust in their own thought.

They trust more in themselves, b/c trusting in someone we can’t see, hear, or touch is hard.

Those who see themselves as wise and sensible will reject the gospel b/c it makes no sense.

It runs contrary to what we can fathom.

How can a perfect creator humble himself to live among us.

Give his life for us and then offer us an eternally perfect gift for free.

It doesn’t stand to reason.

But the good news of the Gospel is that we don’t have to reason ourselves into it.

Rather, it is freely given to us by the grace of our Lord.

And he was sovereign in the planning and he is sovereign in the gifting.

There’s nothing we can do to earn it.

There’s nothing we can do to deserve it.

It’s a free gift to those who humbly receive it.

And in this passage we also see that Jesus partakes in that same Sovereignty of the Father.

All things have been entrusted to him.

He could have chosen the religious elites.

He could have chosen those who carried with them all the knowlege.

However, he chose normal men of normal means to be his followers.

Showing us that access to the grace of God is available to all.

And the disciples who are with Jesus are blessed to be chosen to see the things they see.

I can only imagine that these young men following Jesus always thought about how cool it would have been to witness the battle between David and Goliath.

See Elijah call down fire from heaven to overcome the prophets of Baal.

Witness Moses come down off of Mount Sinai with the 10 Commandments.

I will admit those things would have been cool to see.

But Jesus Here is telling his disciples that witnessing the things he has done is even greater than the things the prophets did.

They were longing for the day of Jesus’ incarnation, and these disciples don’t need to envy the men of the past, but rejoice in what they got to see with Jesus.

Likewise we need to rejoice in the work that we get to see Jesus do in our lives, and the lives of the world around us.

God is still working miracles.

The greatest one is the miracle of salvation and forgiveness.

And that’s something to get excited about.

It’s easy for us to want to live in the past and wish we could go back there.

But we need to live in the present.

We need to be grateful for what God is doing here and now.

Knowing that the saints of the past longed to see the work of God here in the present.

Every time a sinner turns to Jesus the whole of heaven rejoices.

We should rejoice to.

This is the amazing work of Jesus that will never end until he comes again.

And we get to participate in it.

Remember the harvest is plentiful.

Let’s join hands together and go tell the world about the great and gracious God we serve.

Let’s pray.