The Harvest Is Plentiful, the Labourers Few

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Welcome

Hymn - AMAZING GRACE (772) - JOHN NEWTON 1725-1807, VERSES 1-5

Psalm Reading

Psalm 100:4 ESV

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

Prayer

Teen Talk

Hymn - YET NOT I BUT THROUGH CHRIST IN ME (1275) - MICHAEL FARREN, JONNY ROBINSON, RICH THOMPSON

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Hymn - MAY THE PEOPLES PRAISE YOU, PSALM 67 (1325) - Keith & Kristyn Getty, David Simmer, Ed Cash & Stuart Townend

Sermon Search

Reading

Matthew 9:35–10:15 ESV

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.” And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Sermon

Matthew 9:35–37 ESV

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;

Cities & Villages

Teaching in synagogues: Preaching the gospel of the Kingdon

Healing: every disease and affliction

Jesus had compassion for them

Harassed (greviously afflicted) and helpless (rejected)

Oppressed by the burderns that the Pharasees had placed on them

Like sheep without a shepherd

untended, unprotected and unsought

“The Harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few”

Prayer

God-sent

Not self-appointed

Men who love God with all their heart and soul

Men who have compassion for the lost

The crowds knew of God, and knew they feel short of His law

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Acts 2:38–40 ESV

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”

Paul’s later ministry introduces the Gentile to who God is (Act 17)

Acts 17:24–31 ESV

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “ ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

The Twelve Apostles

Matthew 10:1–4 ESV

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Many Discples

12 Apostles

First Six

Simon (Peter/Cephas) & Andrew (Fishermen & Brothers)

James and John, sons of Zebedee

“Sons of Thunder”

Fishermen & Brothers

Philip (from Bethsaida, committed & shared his faith)

Nathanael (Bartholomew) Philip’s friend from Cana, intelectual curiosity, knowledge of the law & scriptures

Thomas Didymos (Devoted and Courageous, yet doubted the ressurection)

Matthew (Levi) the Tax Collector

James the son of Alphaeus (brother of Levi/Matthew),

James the Lesser (younger)

Thaddaeus

Luke refers to as Judas, son of James

John refers to as ‘Judas not Iscariot’

Judas the Greater

Simon the Zealot (Anti-Roman Political)

Judas Iscariot (who betrayed Jesus)

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

Matthew 10:5–6 ESV

These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

12 Apostles to the 12 Tribes of Israel

Great Commission (Matt 28) provides the command to go out into all the world

Matthew 10:7 ESV

And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

Jesus provides them with the message to proclaim

Matthew 10:8 ESV

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

Continue the work as Jesus has shown them

Signs of the Apostles, of their spiritual authority

Heal the sick

Raise the dead

Cleanse lepers

Cast out Demons

Freely you have received, freely give.

Matthew 10:9–10 ESV

Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.

All you need is what you stand in

Do not get any other supplies

God’s Law outlines the requirement on Israel to look after those who are called to God’s ministry

They are not to seek to be enriched but fully trust in God for all they need

Matthew 10:11 ESV

And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart.

The Apostles are to carefully select who they lodge with

Hospitality for travellers was normal

Matthew 10:12–13 ESV

As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

The greeting would be “Peace to you”

The Apostle would not accidentally bestow a blessing upon those who did not deserve it

Being worthy was not on the Apostle but the recipient

Matthew 10:14–15 ESV

And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Go to the synaogue and preach

Those awaiting expectantly on God will provide a warm welcome

Those who reject their words, reject God, and as such the responsibility is on them

It is not a failure of the preacher it is a sad reflection on the sinner who has a hardened heart

They are to wash their feet of them and go to the next house or town

The hardness of the listeners will be judged against them

“It will be more bearable on the day of Judgement for the Land of Doom and Gomorrah than for that town”

Hymn - JESUS THE NAME HIGH OVER ALL (625) - CHARLES WESLEY 1707-88

Closing Prayer

Doxology